Henge- Underneath the Underneath
by MantaCat
Summary: Gen. AU. Naruto has always had an exceptional Henge, particularly when he turns into a girl. There was a reason he went the extra mile when practicing this particular Jutsu, and this is a story exploring why. Chapter 7: Crashing Waves: A hero's visage and many manly fights?
1. Dialogue

**A/N: This chapter is somewhat of a prologue. It introduced the idea for this story; something that I've had on my mind for a while and couldn't get out of my head.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

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**Henge- Underneath the Underneath**

**Chapter 1: Dialogue**

"Naruto… Why do you always insist on using ridiculous Sexy Jutsu? Why is it you're always using Hengeto turn into a girl?" Iruka ran his fingers through his bangs, fixing his eyes on the squirming boy next to him. The blonde fingered the green goggles placed earlier on the bar but didn't say anything. Iruka had initially intended to lecture him on painting the Hokage Monument, but he'd been wondering about Naruto's choice of Hengefor a while, and he'd finally remembered his curiosity while speaking with the subject of his musings.

"I mean," Iruka continued, seeing no response forthcoming, "you have some of the highest marks for Henge, and you could be so versatile with it if you branched out from that female form you've developed."

Naruto kicked his feet for a minute before mumbling into his bowl of ramen.

"Naruto… Highly tuned hearing wont do me any good if you don't annunciate…"

Just as quietly, although this time with better diction, Naruto repeated, "B'cause I like turning into a girl…"

Iruka's thoughts froze. Of all the things he'd expected the boy to say that was not one of them. Was his favorite student a pervert? A deviant? He'd heard foxes liked to turn into sexy women to seduce men; could it be the Kyuubi's influence? Iruka took a deep breath. He was letting his overactive imagination get the better of him. A new thought surfaced. Maybe Naruto liked turning into a girl because then people weren't as fast to recognize and subsequently shun him. There was only one way to find out. Iruka turned to ask his next question, but he'd taken too long and before he could get his question out Naruto blurted:

"I knew it! You think I'm weird don't you!?"

"No, no I don't Naruto. I was simply lost in thought," Iruka hummed for a moment as proof that he really was thinking, "can you tell me why you like to Henge into a girl?" As soon as he spoke Naruto's head whipped around to check his surroundings for eavesdroppers. Iruka was growing more concerned. There were very few things that could embarrass the blond knucklehead.

"Shhh Iruka-sensei! Not so loud!"

"Okay, okay," the chunin quickly agreed, "so? Will you answer the question?"

"I don't know…" Naruto's face was turned down again and Iruka had to lean forward to hear, "It just feels right somehow…" This was normally the point where Iruka would bop Naruto over the head and call him a moron, but something in the boy's demeanor stayed his hand.

"Can you explain it to me a little more?" Iruka asked quietly, gently.

"Its just… more comfortable?"

"Okay. Can you tell me what about it is more comfortable?" Iruka was nodding internally with his theory that Naruto was disguising himself to avoid harassment, but he still managed to catch Naruto's sudden flushed cheeks and further lowering of the head.

"'Cause… 'cause then everything fits."

"…What do you mean 'everything fits'?" _His place in the village?_ Nauto's head lowered further_. If he hunches any more_, Iruka idly thought, _his hair is going to take a bath in ramen broth._

"Ergh! What do you think I mean! Why do you care so much anyway, huh!?" Naruto's head suddenly shot up as he turned heatedly towards his teacher.

"Relax," Iruka waved his hands in a placating way, "I'm just curious, that's all. I want to understand you better. I was just wondering, Naruto," Iruka's tone drew serious, "if you're using your Henge around the village in order to talk to people."

"To talk to people?" The blonde's face scrunched up, "not really. Not unless I'm pranking someone." Iruka rubbed his temples. It wasn't like he could simply ask the boy to explain his mind's inner functions or ask if he was being subconsciously influenced by the giant demon fox sealed in his gut no one had felt the need to mention during the last twelve years of his life.

"So what is it that 'fits' when you use your Henge? Or, what isn't fitting when you don't?" Iruka tried. Naruto looked around quickly, double checking their surroundings, then turned bright red and mumbled incoherently.

"Naruto…" Iruka warned, "If you're going to answer you might as well do so properly." The blonde shook his head, then discreetly pointed down with his hand pulled in close to his stomach. Iruka looked at the ground. Nothing but the paper wrapper from some previous customer's warabashi. Naruto jabbed his finger a second time. Iruka looked at his sandals. As blue and dusty as ever.

Finally Naruto gave a quiet, frustrated groan and the angle of his finger changed slightly so that it was pointing right at his…..oh. OH.

Iruka felt his face heat up. His gaze shifted to meet Naruto's eyes. They were big and frightened.

"Are you goin' to hate me now to Iruka-sensei?" Naruto whispered, "do you not want to be near me anymore? That's why everyone hates me, isn't it? 'Cause they know my body is all wrong. You've always been really nice to me, Iruka-sensei, but you hadn't noticed yet, huh. Everyone else seems to have noticed it right away…"

This conversation had not gone the way Iruka had anticipated. Not in the slightest.

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**So what did you think? The good, the bad, and the ugly; please hold no reservations beyond rating-appropriate language!**

**Published: **March 12, 2014

**Words: **943


	2. Theories and Contingencies

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited! This chapter will give a little bit more of a feel for the story.**

**Warning: Per request of readers, I have changed the rating from 'K+' to 'T' so please move forward at your discretion. There will be no swearing or graphic scenes, but there may be references or allusions to more serious topics.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

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Henge- Underneath the Underneath

Chapter 2: Theories and Contingencies

Iruka stared at the blond boy next to him, mouth agape, before the words finally registered.

"No. No, that's not it at all. And I don't hate you Naruto," Iruka struggled with the words. How could he explain to Naruto that the village's hate stemmed from the Kyuubi, not his body? He needed to speak with the Sandaime. Naruto couldn't go on with these misconceptions any longer; who knows how long the boy had thought there was something wrong with him.

Iruka was practically out of his chair when he forced himself to take a calming breath. It was late, Naruto was distressed, and they both had a genin exam to prepare for. He reached over and ruffled the blonde's hair.

"Tell you what. Wait for me after the exams tomorrow, and we'll go together to talk with Hokage-sama."

"Jii-chan!? Why does he have t' know!?"

"Well," Iruka fished about for a moment, "maybe he knows something. At the very least, he can help figure out why you feel like there is something 'wrong' with your body, right? He's the best of the best, after all."

"I suppose," Naruto began kicking his feet again, "but…but what if he gets angry, huh?"

"Naruto… He won't get angry with you. I promise."

* * *

Iruka made his way up the stairs to the Hokage Tower, his wallet significantly lighter, as well as Naruto's mood. After the unexpectedly heavy conversation with the village prankster, they spent another twenty minutes eating ramen and joking about on lighter subjects. After Naruto's final jovial attempt to try on Iruka's headband, the chunin sent him home for a night of rest and last-minute cramming for the test.

He nodded to the shinobi he passed in the halls. A few nodded in return, but at this hour, most of those in the building were either hidden ANBU on guard duty or worn out chunin returning from a late mission and neither of those were liable to return a friendly gesture.

He gave a friendly greeting to the Sandaime's secretary Akiko who had been in his graduating class and asked if he could go through to speak with the Hokage.

"Do you have an appointment?" Her brow furrowed as she immediately began to double check the papers on her desk for the non-existent memo, "I don't remember you getting any missions lately requiring oral debriefs…"

"Ah… no," Iruka gave his ponytail a scratch, "I wanted to speak with him briefly about Naruto…" Akiko's hands froze.

"I see. He's not meeting with anyone at the moment, at least not anyone who uses the door, so you should be fine entering after a knock." Anything to do with the jinchuriki went straight to the top.

"Thank you," Iruka smiled.

Once inside, Iruka stood uncomfortably in the middle of the room while the Hokage studied him through clouds of pipe smoke. After a final puff the aged leader stood and turned to look out his window.

"Its beautiful at night, is it not?"

"I-indeed sir!" Iruka agreed quickly. The Hokage gave a quick, barking laugh.

"I doubt you can see anything standing all the way back there, Iruka-kun. Come join me." Iruka scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he walked over.

"Now tell me of this trouble with Naruto. It seems he properly scrubbed all the paint from the monument."

"Yes, sir, he did. I was treating him to ramen afterwards when something came up in conversation. For some reason Naruto thinks there is something wrong with his body, and that it is causing the villagers to hate him."

"What do you mean by 'wrong with his body'?" the Third looked over sharply.

"We were talking about his habit of using Henge to turn into a girl. He told me that everything 'fits' that way, and pointed to his… his genitals when I asked him to elaborate."

"Hm," the third chewed on the end of his pipe, "there was nothing off at his last physical, but injuries don't tend to leave lasting marks on that boy. Perhaps a trauma."

"A trauma, sir?" Iruka felt a moment of panic, and the scowl on the Hokage's face did nothing to reassure him.

"There have been cases of… abuse where the victim's self-image was changed after a combination of physical and psychological abuse. The worst cases result in the abused being spiritually broken. Gender… I would only expect to see for a boy in cases of sexual abuse." The Third's voice was grim. Iruka felt his insides hollow out and suddenly felt the need to empty out all the ramen he'd consumed.

"Are you certain, Hokage-sama?"

"No. It could be trauma, it could be the influence of his burden, or it could be a phase. Twelve is the age where hormones start raging, after all. Perhaps he likes another boy, and thinks he needs to be a girl in order to have a relationship with him," the Samdaime's tone lightened as he continued listing ideas.

"There is really no way to tell from that one conversation you relayed to me, but there was something else that stood out to these old ears. You said he blamed his maltreatment on this body-confusion."

"Yes. I took the liberty to tell him we would visit you together after the genin exam. I wasn't entirely sure how much or what you would want me to say to him, but Naruto can't go on thinking there is something wrong with him."

"A smart choice. It has long been my intention to speak with him about his burden should he ever become a shinobi. What would you say his chances are for tomorrow?" The Sandaime turned from the window and made his way back to the old chair behind his desk. Iruka stood across from him, more comfortably than before.

"Honestly, not the greatest. He's already failed twice, but his written scores remain subpar and he still hasn't gotten the clone jutsu down," an exasperated sigh escaped Iruka.

"The Bunshin, you say? No, I suppose he wouldn't, and he may never. The Yondaime's seal is so strong I assumed he would have no more difficulties than his year mates, but perhaps that was simply wishful thinking on my part."

"But he has absolutely no issues with the Kawarimi and his Henge is exceptional?" Iruka tried. The Third rubbed his forehead before his hand traveled down to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"True, but those two techniques have one essential difference from the Bunshin: They do not require a set amount of chakra, instead impacting the users entire state of being. We may have to find Naruto an alternative. I'll think on it and get back to you tomorrow."

* * *

Mizuki made his way around the crowd so that he could approach the blonde from behind. Everything was going as he had planned. He'd already informed the contact he'd be coming tonight with the Scroll of Sealing, and had already begun his nice-guy act. Now he just had to cement the relation and point the demon-boy towards the target.

He was smoothing out his smile when Iruka cut through the crowd and put his hand on the blondes shoulder. Mizuki couldn't catch everything from his position halfway across the courtyard, but heard enough to understand they were heading to the Hokage Tower to meet with the Samdaime after a quick bowl of ramen. Mizuki cursed. It would seem he would have to go with plan B in order to meet the deadline.

* * *

"So Naruto," the Third began, "I hear you have an exceptional Henge, is that right?"

"Yah. Wait, does this mean you'll let me pass!? 'Cause my Henge is so supper awesome?"

"Ah… no, not quite," The Sandaime quickly backtracked, "I hear you use your Henge to turn into a girl… and that you feel more comfortable that way," he continued when Naruto didn't respond. As soon as the sentence was out, the boy flushed and his face dropped so that he was watching his toes wiggle in his sandals. Offhandedly, Sarutobi noted how bright Naruto looked with the orange light from the sunset pouring into the window on his yellow hair and orange jumpsuit. _Such a vibrant child… in so many different senses of the word._

"Can you tell me why?"

"…"

"Iruka told me you felt more comfortable because then 'everything fits' when you are turned into a girl. That you meant your body?" Naruto gave a single, sharp nod, raising his head only enough to be able to drop it down again.

"Did someone tell you that, Naruto?" a quick shake, "Do you think that because of someone you like?" an even quicker shake, accompanied by a brief look that could only be translated as 'ew gross, what are you thinking?' "How long have you felt this way?" a pause. A shrug.

Iruka knelt down so that he could see the knuckleheads face, but when his eyes began to search the blondes, Naruto looked away.

"Naruto," Iruka's soft voice pleaded for the boy to look at him, "can you give us an age? Do you know?" Naruto shook his head again. "Do you remember when you started to feel this way?"

"No." The response was so quiet Iruka wasn't certain he'd heard it, but he saw the boy's lips move.

"That's alright," the Third smiled. Naruto couldn't see it, but Iruka could tell the Sandaime was more relaxed. "There is a private walkway through that door there—" the Third used his pipe to point to a door on the side of the room adjacent to the entrance, "—which leads to my private chambers. What I would like, is for you to go into it and try out different Henge until you find one you feel the most comfortable in. There is no mirror, and I would like for you not to turn on any lights so that you can't see yourself. Try out whatever you like. You could even try using Henge to turn into a turtle, or a cat, a fox—" he looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, "—or even a chair," the Third laughed:

"And when you find a form that makes you feel the most comfortable, I would like for you to come out and show Iruka and I. Take your time to move around in each Henge to see how it feels, and try out as many different ones as you like. Neither Iruka nor I have any other plans for the night." Iruka felt his heart sink. Just because he was a bit of an introvert didn't mean he wanted to spend his evening sitting in the Hokage Tower making small talk with the Sandaime. Naruto nodded and went through the door, closing it in an uncharacteristically quiet manner.

* * *

"…Mizu Bunshin, and finally Doton Bunshin. Each of these requires a set amount of chakra, although larger than that of a simple clone. It would be a good way to train chakra control and work towards finer jutsu. The issue, however, is that they each require a basic understanding of elemental manipulation; something most genin lack."

"It would take him another year to study and master any of those techniques," Iruka intuited, "that could be both good and bad. He would come out better prepared, and there would be a whole year to review what he struggles with academically… but to be separated from his year group…" Shouting could be heard from down the hall, drawing closer, interrupting Iruka's train of thought.

There was a dark flash and a sudden breeze as one of the hidden ANBU darted out to analyze the situation. A moment later he returned to kneel before the Hokage and alerted him that a chunin was caught in possession of the Scroll of Sealing and was being brought to the office by ANBU to hear what the Hokage had to say on the matter.

It didn't take long for Sarutobi to send the raving chunin instructor to T&I for a date with Anko. Iruka watched as his once friend was dragged off, his hateful words still stinging. When his gaze shifted back to the Hokage, the elder had opened the scroll to check for damages, fingering the edges.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin…" he heard the Third quietly muse, "it may just work."

"Isn't that technique dangerous, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, because it functions on the same principles as Kawarimi and Henge; impacting the entire chakra system. The danger comes because unlike the other two it pulls chakra from the body and may lead to chakra exhaustion or in worse cases death. But for Naruto? It may just be the perfect fit."

"Still," Iruka nodded reluctantly, "I've heard that is an advanced technique for shape-manipulation. There is no way he could master such a high-level clone in a week, let alone in time to be fit for team assignments."

"Hm. He's a surprising boy. Perhaps we should give it to him and see."

The door gave a creak, and a few blond locks stuck out.

"Please Jii-chan! Iruka-sensei! I'll have that jutsu down in no time! Believe it!"

"Naruto!?" the Sandaime sputtered into his pipe, he hadn't noticed when the poof sound indicating jutsu had ceased, "Have you been listening in?" The room was fairly well soundproofed for those on the outside. Beyond shouting, Naruto would have had to have his ear pressed right up against it to hear anything.

"Just since that shouting guy came through. Please let me learn that jutsu! I'll have it down in one night! Believe it!"

"First tell me why you're hiding behind that door." Iruka didn't think he'd ever seen the Hokage looking so baffled. Blond spikes whipped against the edge of the door while Naruto must have been shaking his head. "Well why not?" the Third pressed.

"'Cause I'm in a Henge."

"That's fine. If you're trying it out you can come out to talk in it or drop it altogether."

"…But I like this one." There was a beat of silence before Sarutobi replied:

"Would you like to show us? How long have you been trying that one out for?"

"Since before the loud guy came."

"Naruto," Iruka tried, "I don't care if you have three wooden legs and a pig's tail. You're my precious student, and nothing can change that." The door began to swing outwards towards the waiting shinobi.

Iruka's first thought was _He looks exactly the same_. The Sandaime studied the blonde before him for a long moment before addressing him.

"Would you mind removing the jacket so that I can see you better?"

Naruto hesitated and clutched at the front of his jacket, but ultimately it came off without complaint. The difference remained subtle, but both adults could see where the black shirt pulled slightly more on the blonde's chest. Naruto's hands rose to grab at his shirt in front of the chest.

"Naruto, you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, okay?" the Third reassured. Naruto nodded in understanding, but had a look of dread on his face. One of his hands drifted down to clutch at the crotch of his pants uncomfortably in anticipation of what the Third would ask next. Sandaime continued:

"Would you describe your current form as female?" Naruto flinched back, but opened his mouth to respond. After a moment where no sound came out, the mouth closed again. Naruto's brow furrowed. He shuffled back and forth a few times.

"…I guess so?"

Iruka held back a groan. What did he mean, he guessed!? It had always seemed clear to Iruka that people were either boys or girls. But Naruto looked so insecure he felt the need to comfort him, and he really didn't care much in the end if Naruto was a girl or a guy. Naruto had too unique and strong of a personality to pay much attention to that in Iruka's book anyway.

"Well whatever the form, you're still my knuckleheaded student," Iruka walked over with a sigh and a smile to drape his arm over the blonde's shoulders and give a gentle squeeze. In return he got a watery smile.

"Yes," the Third smiled, "that is a beautiful form. As is your own body. And now that you are out here, we can discuss the Kage Bunshin from before." Naruto snapped to attention under Iruka's arm.

"Please give it to me Jii-chan! I'll master it in a day! Believe it! Then you can put me on a team, right? Right!?"

"Calm down! Ninja must always be in control of themselves!" Iruka began, but before he could switch into full-out lecture mode the Hokage cut in.

"I'll copy the jutsu into a separate scroll now. See if you can't master it in the next few days, but know I wont be disappointed if you are unable."

"I'll have it down tonight! I'll be a ninja before you've even fallen asleep!"

Iruka let out a sigh as the office finally drew quiet. He began straightening to deliver his parting salutations when the aged Hokage spoke.

"I can say with relative certainty that our earlier theories were incorrect. Perhaps I shall look up his old caretakers and see if any of them noticed anything. For now, we'll watch and see what Naruto does with that jutsu scroll."

* * *

A loud banging woke him with a start. Iruka rolled over to grab his hitai-ate and saw his clock reading 3:38AM. The only people he could see knocking on his door at this hour were other shinobi with emergency information. Mind instantly awake he quickly made his way to the door.

When the door was opened Iruka couldn't decide if he was more relieved or perturbed. A battered, sweaty Naruto stood huffing before him with an inordinately large grin on his face. Without a word he put his hands together in a cross and took a deep breath. A cry of 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!' rang through the quiet street and suddenly Iruka was looking at what must have been over one hundred grinning Naruto's. With a cheer that made dogs bark and lights turn on across the village the clones gave a jumping fist pump, high fived, and dispelled themselves.

The original stood before his rubbing the back of his head and grinning. With a grin of his own Iruka bopped him on the head.

"You idiot! You've woken up the entire village!" Not that Iruka was helping them to fall back asleep, "Come here and close your eyes."

Naruto moved closer and obediently shut his eyes. Iruka gently pulled the clashing green goggles from his forehead and hung them on the door handle for the moment. Reaching back he swiftly tugged the knot on his headband. It slipped off his forehead and into his waiting hand. Iruka gave it a final look. There were scratches spider-webbing across the metal plate and random bits of loose weaving that had escaped from behind the seam to peak out like nicked thread. There was a brown spot along the left tassel where he hadn't noticed blood swiftly enough to wash out. He ran his fingers over it, and with a fond smile turned it to tie around Naruto's forehead.

"Congratulations. From this day forth, you are a genin of Konohagakure no Sato."

LINELINELINE

**Thank you everyone for reading! Please let me know what you think of it so far! If there are mistakes or something seems incorrect please let me know!**

**Published: **March 12, 2014

**Words: **3,343


	3. Day at Hokage Tower

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited thus far!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

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Henge- Underneath the Underneath

Chapter 3: Day at Hokage Tower

Iruka lead Naruto by hand to the Hokage's office. He was tense, and acting out of character, and Naruto had picked up on it. Despite this, he didn't say anything. He wasn't sure who he was trying to comfort, but had the feeling he was benefiting a lot more from the contact than Naruto was. The boy was so concerned he ignored the strange looks people were giving them as they passed in the hall.

When Naruto began subconsciously drawing closer protectively and cast around nervously with his eyes, Iruka drew him to an unpopulated junction in the tower, took a deep breath, and smiled. This wasn't something to be upset over, in fact, Iruka should be happy. Earlier this morning his favorite knucklehead mastered a high level technique and took the first steps to achieving his dream. There had been some confusion the last few days, and he discovered Naruto held a great deal of self-loathing, but that's what they were here to address.

"Come on Naruto," he gave their joined hands a jovial shake, "let's go visit Hokage-sama."

Upon arrival, the Hokage greeted them both warmly and seriously. He stood to the side as the Hokage had Naruto share what he knew about seals and retell the story of the Fourth's battle against the Kyuubi. He held himself back as he saw the confusion written across Naruto's face as the Third began explaining and giving several different examples of storage scrolls and sealing with a kunai and then a live, potted plant. He stopped himself from unprofessionally biting his knuckles when the Sandaime began to retell the events of October 10th and Naruto's face began to fill with dread in anticipation of the story's end.

When the tale ended, however, he joined the old leader in embracing Naruto and whispering soft words of comfort. Iruka couldn't recall much of what he said beyond 'You aren't a monster-fox, you're my precious student' but his feelings must have gotten through because eventually the tears dried up and Naruto gave Iruka his trademark smile. When they had all collected themselves the Sandaime returned to his chair and Iruka stood back with his hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Why… why didn't you ever tell me before?" Naruto's rasping voice came through the silence.

"I was waiting until you became a genin."

"Why?"

"There are several reasons. To understand you needed the basic knowledge of shinobi skills and the maturity to cope with the information. You needed the ability to keep silent about your burden even under enemy torture. That is not something I would ask of any child." Naruto thought on it for a while, as did Iruka. As seemingly noisy as the villagers might be about the jinchuriki domestically, anyone who was vaguely 'foreign' would be excluded from most gossip circles and working off an information base of assumptions and guesswork. If they got ahold of Naruto in some perverted repeat of the Hyuga incident and the blonde could confirm his status as a jinchuriki, then assassins and kidnappers would come after the blonde almost daily in an attempt to weaken the Leaf or strengthen their own village before Naruto could grow into a threat.

With that reasoning, Iruka could see the Hokage's point very clearly. It was a common practice. Why else would only a small section of the archives be open to genin and an even smaller section for civilians? It wasn't that the information contained wasn't relevant to them, just that at their level the knowledge would do them more potential harm than good.

After fuming for a few minutes, Naruto cooled down and seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

"Are you keeping anything else from me?" His voice was guarded, but Iruka thought he could detect an undercurrent of hurt as well.

"Yes." Curt, to the point, and entirely unapologetic.

"What could be more dangerous than having the Kyuubi in my gut!?"

"As written in your parent's will, information of your heritage will be withheld and guarded as a secret of the state until you either achieve the rank of chunin or reach the legal age of twenty and can manage your inheritance independently."

"My inheritance? Where is it now? Who's managing it now?"

"Your inheritance is under the direct management of the Hokage. I am currently using it to subsidize your rent so you can afford to live independently off the Orphaned Minors Stipend," the Sandiame never broke eye contact with the blonde, but Iruka saw the muscles on the back of his hand give a slight twitch. This couldn't be easy for him either, the chunin realized. If Naruto decided to hate him it would be like losing a grandchild.

"Okay… I get you taking care of all the money stuff 'cause I'm still working on that, but doesn't that mean you know who my parents are? Why can't you tell me that, huh!?" Iruka sighed. He felt completely useless in the current situation, and if lines were drawn he wasn't sure he could pick a side. He sympathized painfully with both.

"It is not all that uncommon for jōnin to request the information to be withheld in their wills. The reasoning is protection through anonymity. It keeps enemies from extracting revenge on their children until they are capable of fending for themselves. Typically the will is revised once their students enter the academy, because their ability to retain memories long-term develops around that age, and withholding the information becomes a moot point." Naruto was silent for a while as he reviewed the information.

"So that means my parents were jōnin?" he ventured.

"Indeed. I can't tell you much else without betraying the will they entrusted me with," Iruka noted that he worded it so Naruto would understand emotionally where the Sandaime was coming from, "It is rare for both parents to pass away before their child enters the academy. Most Kunoichi retire to raise their children," he supplied as gently as he could.

"I guess… I should be proud, huh?" Naruto's voice came across as subdued to the tan chunin. He thought, at that moment, he understood exactly what Naruto was feeling. Moving on his instinct, Iruka gave Naruto's shoulder a squeeze like he had the night before, and shared a smile.

They were dismissed, and Iruka took Naruto out for a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. The conversation, in typical Naruto fashion jumped from the glories of ramen, to his unknown parents, to the virtues of one Haruno Sakura, and finally to how the villagers receive him. The knucklehead scratched his head agitatedly when Iruka pushed him to open up on his feelings about being discriminated against as a jinchūriki.

"Its like, I went from one thing wrong with me - that I didn't get any say in! – makin' people hating me, to having something else wrong with me that I can't control but people hate me for anyway! I mean, its nice, and I'm glad people don't hate me 'cause of—'cause of why I thought they hated me," Naruto looked out at the crowd passing just on the other side of the curtain, "but… I guess I don't really know how I feel, you know?"

"Even though I haven't experienced a lot of the things you have," Iruka pinched a clump of noodles with his chopsticks, "I think I understand what you're trying to say. There's no rush to sort out your feelings, and its okay to feel frustrated or even a little angry. Just remember that the Sandaime and myself are here for you, and so will be your jōnin sensei once we've got those sorted out."

"Pft!" Naruto snorted, "you've got a lot of faith in some guy you don't even know, Iruka-sensei!"

"Well, it'll be someone the Hokage trusts implicitly to watch out for you, whoever they are," Iruka huffed, "just know its okay to open up to them, alright?"

Apparently it wasn't because Naruto kept laughing at him until he'd paid for the meal and they made their way back to the Hokage tower.

* * *

Iruka was reviewing the register for his incoming class while Naruto sat across from him filling out his registration forms. The Sandaime would be compiling and reviewing his lists of potential jōnin instructors and genin files in his office around this time, and later that afternoon Iruka and the other teachers for this year's graduating class would meet individually to answer and clarify any questions about the new genin. Iruka, fortunately, had the top class and would get to meet with the Hokage first, giving his students first pick of jōnin.

He glanced at the clock. Naruto was taking an unusually long amount of time to complete his forms. Iruka hadn't seen his pen move in a good five minutes and it wasn't even a test! From the way his brow was scrunched up and he was biting his lip you'd think it was. With a sigh he stood up and made his way over to see what the hold up was.

At first glance it seemed everything was filled out. When he looked closely, however, Naruto's pen was hovering over the smallest box on the page. There were only two symbols, 男 and 女, which symbolized male and female, and small print in the top left corner saying to circle one. Once again Iruka found himself confused by his favorite knucklehead. This had to be the simplest box on the entire form. Even small children who couldn't spell out their full name recognized 'male' and 'female' from the signs on bathroom doors.

"What's the hold up, Naruto?"

"…I don't know."

"Is something wrong?" Iruka asked gently. Naruto scowled and hastily drew a circle on the form before thrusting it in Iruka's face. He hopped out of his chair and dashed from the room calling out that he was going to get his number for his ID photo. Iruka thought he also caught something about getting ready, but wasn't paying all that much attention. He was looking at the crumpled paper in his hands.

Naruto, in his typical sloppy fashion had circled the 'male' sign in such a way that the left side of the circle went straight down the middle of the character and the right side went all the way through the center of the box until it practically touched on 'female.' Iruka gave a heavy sigh. The two ends weren't even connecting, with the right end sticking out of the top of the box into the one above it marked 'Given Name.'

* * *

Sarutobi stared at the photo while Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. He could hear the blond boy saying something about practicing the pose and makeup, but his internal debate was taking the majority of his attention. On the one hand, the photo wasn't the least bit accurate and would confuse anyone checking it, but on the other hand the photo wasn't the least bit accurate and would confuse anyone checking it.

As Konoha's jinchūriki, his shinobi ID card would be the last thing anyone affiliated with the village would bother checking, and even if they did, the photo was so characteristically _Naruto_ that they would know it was his. If any spies got their hands on his files it would make it much more difficult to track the boy down. On the other hand, there were standards to uphold and official records to maintain, and he should really stop letting the boy get away with so much….

"Why did you want to dress up so much for this photo?" He really needed something to tip the balance and motive seemed like as good a decision maker as any. If it was just another prank, as he suspected, he'd have the boy retake it. He was caught off guard, then, when Naruto's smile dropped and he scuffed his sandal on the ground.

"I just… well… Iruka-sensei said I couldn't use a henge, so I just… I don't know, decided to use paint instead?" Well, it gave Sarutobi a little bit more to work with as far as understanding Naruto went. He was going to ask more gently than originally intended for Naruto to take the photo again without the makeup when his grandson burst into the room.

A small fiasco later and his office was cleared of loud violent people. He looked at the paperwork on his desk, looked at his door still skewed open from Naruto's gusty exit, looked back at his paperwork, told Sparrow to shut the door, pulled out his scrying crystal, and sat back to enjoy watching his grandson's misadventures with Konoha's number one prankster. Every once in a while he glanced over and signed a form or two.

* * *

**Thank you everyone for reading! Please let me know what you think of the story so far, and if there are any topics you would like for me to address. I already have several things in mind, as well as who will be involved and when, but my outline for this story is plenty flexible and if there is an issue you would like to see covered, just let me know in a review or private message and I'll see what I can do!**

**Published:** March 21, 2014

**Words:** 2,262


	4. A Team

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited thus far!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

* * *

Henge- Underneath the Underneath

Chapter 4: A Team

Kakashi's lone visible eye was trained on the crystal ball. A few of the other jōnin in the room, mainly his friends, stood close to him also looking on but the majority of future teachers lounged back exchanging pleasantries and light conversation in the rest of the room. The Third made a comment about Uchiha Sasuke, the top graduate, but Kakashi's eye had been caught by the dead last shoved to the ground next to him.

He watched as the teams were assigned, and then the Sandaime pulled him aside as the others left to eat and collect their teams. They made a quick trip across the village to Naruto's apartment, which they proceeded to enter through an unlocked window. The Hokage gave him a minute to meander through the rooms and get a feel for the boy's personality before speaking.

"As you know, Naruto recently learned about the Kyūbi. He may come to you with questions."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"A separate issue… it has recently come to attention that he feels more comfortable in a female henge." Kakashi listened as the Sandaime gave him a rundown on his theories and the nights Henge experiment that resulted in the blonde learning Kage Bunshin.

"Dysphoria? I knew ANBU who experienced it while on long-term infiltration, but from what I picked up they felt disconnected with the Henge, not their original body," Kakashi mused, "and I doubt Naruto's used Oiroke no Jutsu to the same extent as any of them."

"I agree. I tried speaking with his early caretakers but none of them came forward about odd behavior of that nature. I have his academy sensei, Iruka, assigned a C-rank mission sorting through the reports submitted by the ANBU guarding him, but have low expectations he'll find anything useful."

"I'll keep it in mind if the team passes. Are there any specific problems you are anticipating from this? That is to say it shouldn't impact performance, should it?"_ I mean,_ Kakashi thought_, just look at Gai_. Eccentricities among shinobi didn't say anything about skill or potential.

"It's important because it matters to Naruto," the Sandaime pinched the bridge of his nose, "He talks like we're making a bigger issue out of it than it needs to be, which we might be, but I doubt it. Naruto blamed any maltreatment he'd received on his dysphoria, and has clearly spent hours practicing the Henge to the point of true mastery in order to cope with it."

"I'll do what I can, Hokage-sama, but I've never dealt with something of this nature before. I can't say I have the faintest idea where to start."

"I trust your judgment, Kakashi," the Third let his hand fall on the taller jōnin's shoulder with all the weight of his post.

"That remains if they pass," the silver-haired man reminded in a warning tone. The Hokage barked a laugh in response.

"You can't run away indefinitely. I fully expect to see the new Team Seven pulling weeds and chasing cats before the month is out."

They left the apartment after that. The Sandaime returned to his tower, and Kakashi went to get a quick bite to eat before meeting his potential students. The Hokage had talked all through lunch and his stomach felt like it had turned on itself. He'd be late either way, he told himself, so what would a little detour for food matter in the grand scheme of things?

* * *

"YOU…" Kakashi felt his skills in emotional control stretched to the limits as he leaned forward to tower over the three children. He'd gone through the hand signs for the stormy genjutsu right in front of them and they still looked like they might pee themselves. It took all his willpower not to ruin the mood by laughing. Once they were significantly cowed by fear he finished his sentence; "…PASS!"

The weight of his decision to accept the team hit him while he was explaining the Memorial Stone. His mind was flooded first with memories, and then with doubts. Could he really do this? What kind of teacher would he be? What kind of teacher did he _want_ to be? He'd never passed a team before, and had never wanted to pass a team. He felt a rush of panic. Somewhere, he was still talking to three kids, but in his mind Kakashi running in circles.

Eventually he left to give the Hokage his report. He remembered about half-way there he'd neglected to release Naruto from the post, which lead to him realizing he had no idea what time he'd told his new team to meet. With a groan, Kakashi decided just to go deliver his report before he forgot that to.

LINELINELINE

On the Hokage's recommendation, Kakashi had dinner that night with his team's academy sensei, one Umino Iruka. He had calmed down somewhat by then, as he'd had the opportunity to think things through, but followed the Third's advice nonetheless.

They took a booth at Yakiniku-Q where Iruka spread out various reports and work samples. Kakashi had, of course, read the bios provided by the Hokage, but Iruka was able to tell and show him much more, having worked with each of them for several years. Kakashi was confident in his ability to direct a team and teach formations, but the Sandaime and the genin's various self-introductions had thrown him off worrying about how unbalanced the kids appeared to be.

Sakura seemed stable enough for a hormonal thirteen-year-old girl. He also spent a good deal of time discussing Sasuke. It was convenient that Kakashi had already tested them, as he was able to bring up specific instances and reactions to get a second opinion on. Eventually they switched over to Naruto.

"I don't know if Sandaime-sama told you, but Naruto feels uncomfortable in his body," Iruka eventually brought up the topic of interest.

"We talked about his body dysphoria for a bit. I'm honestly not sure what to do about it, or if I should do anything at all." Iruka nodded in understanding.

"I don't really know what to make of it either," the chunin rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, "I mean, I saw him staring at the gender box on the shinobi registration form for a good five minutes. But underneath that Henge he's still a guy, right, so I don't get why he didn't just circle it and hand the paper in."

As Iruka was speaking Kakashi leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He couldn't have looked less interested in what the chunin had to say and when Iruka saw this he fell silent.

"Maa," Kakashi said after a long pause, "Certainly, if you look underneath the Henge, that's what you'll find," Iruka watched his visible eye sharpen as whatever idea he had began to coagulate, "but my sensei taught me that as shinobi, we must learn to look _underneath the underneath_."

After that both men were preoccupied by their own thoughts and didn't have much to say. Eventually a waitress came over to collect their tab and politely kick them out. Iruka's face became flushed and he quickly apologized, sweeping the papers back into their respective piles while rising from his seat. For his part, Kakashi pulled out his book, smiled, and placed the cash for his portion of the meal on the table. Sliding past the then blushing waitress, he made a quick escape back to his apartment.

* * *

He showed up to meet his team at nine. It seemed like a good, safe time, not too early and not too late. That is to say, being off by two hours really wasn't that bad as far as Kakashi's punctuality was concerned. When both Sakura and Naruto scolded him for being late Kakashi felt like a weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He'd spoiled his image as a powerful commander, and somehow, that was a comfort. He no longer felt the need to meet impossible expectations either from himself or the genin. He'd just do things his own way, and somehow they'd all figure out how to be a team together.

So began Kakashi's life as a teacher and mentor.

He opened up with drills and basic exercise. He worked the team for two hours in this way. After stretching and running he watched the kids go through the academy kata. Sakura's movements were precise if not fluid, Sasuke's were both fluid and precise, and Naruto's were neither. His stance was too wide. Kakashi told him to bring his legs closer together. Three steps later they returned to their previous distance. Kakashi told him to bring his left foot in. Slowly the blonde's foot inched farther out again. The jōnin was getting frustrated. Naruto's movements and balance became so much more precise when he narrowed his stance, but at the same time he seemed much less comfortable. Kakashi frowned. Was it habit? The kata should feel easier with the adjustments… his attention was diverted for the next form as he had to correct Sakura. Apparently this one gave her more trouble than the others. It looked to Kakashi as if she was swinging her arms around like wet ramen noodles.

At eleven o'clock Kakashi stopped the individual exercise and switched into group activities. He ran them through veiled trust exercises such as one member directing the other two while they were blindfolded. The activities met with mixed success. The main problem was that the one directing would purposefully sabotage the other two. The kids laughed about it now, but Kakashi thought they were reinforcing the idea that they couldn't work together. It wouldn't seem like an important point for practice or D-ranks, but later on when they faced real opponents, Kakashi was worried they wouldn't have the foundation needed to withstand the pressure and trust each other to watch their backs. When the hour was up Kakashi had them break for lunch then led the team to the Hokage Tower for their first official mission.

He'd teamed up with Asuma and Kurenai in order to convince Yūgao to bring a camera with her on her shift guarding the Hokage. In exchange for a spool of ninja wire, a brace of shuriken, and a new wet stone for her blades she agreed to take pictures of the rookie teams' faces when they heard the details for their first official mission. Kakashi was glad they'd thought to ask, because his sharingan was covered and the expressions on his ducklings' faces were absolutely priceless.

The mission was a simple fence-painting job, which resulted in the kids being covered in white spots and saturating their close with paint fumes. Kakashi was relieved to note there were no major issues between them while on the job. Three hours later his team turned in their first successful mission report. Before they left Kakashi remembered to sign them up for a team photo. He couldn't help the warm smile he felt spreading across his face as he wondered what type of frame he should get.

He spent the remainder of the afternoon browsing for a said picture frame, and ended up finding four matching frames of the right size. They weren't anything fancy – a simple square made of wood with soft edges and a smooth dark polish – and he didn't have any time to get them engraved, but they were just aesthetic and sentimental enough for Kakashi's taste. He fell asleep that night gazing at the monochrome silhouettes of the two picture frames on his nightstand, wondering what kind of picture the second one would hold.

That night Kakashi dreamed of his first days on a team with Obito and Rin. Random events were tied together incongruently and his team photo seemed to always be hovering in the background. He woke up feeling much less spirited than he had going to sleep, and after slowly dragging himself out of bed decided to visit the memorial stone to compose himself before meeting his own genin. It would make him late, but Kakashi felt that would be a lesser evil than showing up with death dancing behind his eyes.

When he arrived at the bridge to meet his ducklings, Kakashi was feeling significantly more put together. Hearing Sakura and Naruto yell at him for being late and watching them mess around as kids lifted him the rest of the way out of his slump, particularly when he noticed Naruto's picture-day getup. He'd seen it on the blonde's shinobi identification card, but seeing it again in person that face paint looked like it took a lot of effort. He must have gotten up really early to work on it assuming he arrived on time.

"Sorry Naruto," he smiled, "but you're going to have to wash that off before we go in for our team photo."

"Why? The Old Man let me take my ID photo like this!"

"I want a nice picture to remind me of how cute all my ducklings are before they've grown up, and besides, we need at least one accurate photo of you for the records, so no altered appearances."

"Sakura's altered her appearance!" Kakashi looked where Naruto was pointing, and sure enough he could see the somewhat crooked lines from a juvenile attempt at using an eye pencil, the clumped together eyelashes from mascara, and a slight sheen on her lips from gloss that had almost completely rubbed off. The girl shifted nervously under his scrutiny, most likely wondering if she's have to wash her face to.

"Sakura isn't wearing enough makeup for it to be an issue."

"That's not fair!"

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, "What are you, a girl? Quit whining over your makeup, Dobe." Naruto froze, and then arms started flailing.

"What!? No! Teme! And its not makeup! Its war paint! WAR PAINT!"

"Maa," Kakashi moved in between the two hotheads before things could get physical, "Sasuke, you really shouldn't use gender as an insult. There is nothing degrading about being female, so dressing or acting like a girl shouldn't be considered degrading either, got that?" The boy scoffed again and looked away. In Kakashi's peripheral vision he could see Sakura shifting indecisively, "Naruto," he turned, "we're not going to war, we're going to the photographer. A little bit of face paint is fine, but you're going to have to take most of it off.

"And Sakura," Kakashi called out as Naruto grumbled, "Why don't you help Naruto find the right balance between face and paint?"

"S-sure," she agreed with some hesitation, "come on Naruto, we'll use your water bottle to get the paint off your face and the stream for the rest." She pulled out a handkerchief and wet it with her own water. Kakashi pulled out his book and found a tree to lean against, and Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and walked to another tree farther away to claim as his own.

Kakashi listened absently as Sakura became confident working in a familiar area and started lecturing the captive Naruto. "You can't wash your face in the river because the unfiltered water will spoil your complexion," Kakashi heard her cry out in offence. At another point: "No. Putting that on your chin just looks like a tacky attempt at having a beard." He almost didn't catch himself laughing when he heard her wail "You're doing it all wrong! Here, hand me the brush!" Eventually the two returned from the riverbank and Sasuke pushed off his tree to meander over. Sakura stopped proudly before Kakashi, an iron grip holding her victim to her side, waiting for the jōnin's verdict.

The white paint base had been removed, as had all the red lines on the bottom half of Naruto's face. What remained was the red around his eyes branching out across his forehead. Naruto's jacket had been unzipped in the process of scrubbing, but instead of zipping it back up, he left it open so that the hitai-ate tied around his neck was prominently displayed. Kakashi could see red on his hands, but couldn't tell if it was residual paint from scrubbing or if the spirals had been reapplied there.

"Hmph," Kakashi wasn't the only one to be giving Naruto a thorough examination, "Dobe, you look even look like a girl now."

Kakashi shot the dark haired boy a warning look while Naruto protested, and under his unyielding gaze Sasuke wilted a bit. "I'm just saying," he defended, contrite, "you can't say he doesn't." Well…that part was true at least.

"That's 'cause Sakura-chan did it!" Naruto crossed his arms.

"Is it no good?" Sakura looked between Naruto and Sasuke.

"It looks fine," Kakashi cut in, "but we wont be if we don't go get our picture taken soon. I think we're about three hours late?" Kakashi tapped his chin trying to check his internal clock to see how late they'd be and wondering if the photographer would still be there. He really didn't want to have to reschedule.

Hearing his words his three genin became frantic and Kakashi found himself being swept along towards the Hokage Monument and a team photo.

That night Kakashi's light stayed on much longer than usual as he studied again and again his new team's photo. In the center stood Sakura, energy practically bubbling over and eternalized. To her right was a sulking Sasuke, still somewhat put out from Kakashi's reprimand and having the jōnin's hand on his head ruffling his hair. To her left, Naruto. Grin stretched across his face pulling attention. It wasn't quite large enough to hide the blush he got when the photographer jokingly called him pretty. He reminded Kakashi of a younger Tsume with his wild hair, boyish cloths, and red makeup, but his eyes were warm and expressive. Kakashi'd just put his hand on the blonde's head before the picture was taken, and Naruto was looking up towards him nearly radiating happiness. And there he was in the back. Directly behind Sakura and with a hand ruffling both boys' hair.

Kakashi didn't consider himself an expressive person, even under the mask, but when he looked at himself in the photo he could see the same warmth and exasperation as Minato-sensei had in their team photo. Had Minato-sensei been as nervous as he was? He was even younger than Kakashi when he first took on the team. Kakashi set his new photo next to the old before getting out of bed to switch off the light.

* * *

**Somehow, I ended up writing a lot about Kakashi. Please let me know where to improve, expand, cut to the chase, and comb through for those cursed mistyped words! I really appreciate all the feedback I've received for this story!**

**Published: March 28, 2014**

**Words: 3,123**


	5. Dress the Part

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited thus far!**

**I know this is later than previous chapters, but I hope it will be worth it! I would like to than Nu Hiep for helping me flesh out and refine this story and previewing my work!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

* * *

Henge- Underneath the Underneath

Chapter 5: Dress the Part

Two weeks after taking the team photo everyone had fallen into the new routine. The genin's bodies had adjusted to the physical demands of training and they were no longer dragging themselves home at the end of the day. Kakashi had grown accustomed to splitting his own training in two and working with his ducklings in between. It allowed him to work out the aftermath of bad dreams before meeting the team even if it did cement his tardiness. Yūgao had finally taken the photo's negatives to a store and delivered copies to all the new jōnin instructors of their genin receiving their first missions. Kakashi's was taped to his fridge. The afternoon missions were also serving their purpose, namely by giving the kids a purpose. For all his focus on revenge, the gratification received from the simple missions was causing Sasuke to lighten up a bit and Kakashi would occasionally glimpse him smiling softly at his teammates backs. Helping out around the village aloud Sakura and Naruto to get a better grasp of the big picture that was Konohagakure and Kakashi could see the sparks that might, given a little more time to mature, ignite into the will of fire. There was no denying; the silver-haired jōnin was proud of his ducklings.

With a final wave to the memorial stone Kakashi turned to go meet his team.

The morning started off as usual, but Kakashi noticed something off with Naruto. No, 'off' might not be the best word. After weeks of haggling with the blonde to bring in his stance to no avail, Naruto was moving through his kata smoothly and with good form. After studying him for another minute to confirm it wasn't a fluke, Kakashi called the genin to attention and announced that they'd each be sparring against him individually. The kids shrugged, having accepted Kakashi's occasional changes in routine. Kakashi called Naruto forward and sent the other two back to drilling their kata.

There was nothing remarkable about the spar beyond Naruto's improved form, although that did have a large impact on his overall performance. When he started to show signs of tiring Kakashi kicked out at his chest to knock the blonde back and end the spar. Naruto wasn't able to get his arms up fast enough however, and ended up thrown back with a pained cry.

The blonde landed sprawled on his back in the grass as a cloud of dust rose up to accompany the popping sound he made on impact. _Wait…_ Kakashi paused, _'Pop'?_ He glanced down at the grass by his feet. It was a vibrant green and still somewhat damp from the morning dew. No way was the ground underneath dry enough to plume up when disturbed. He looked back at Naruto who was pulling himself up. There was a slight blush on his face and he was glancing nervously towards his teammates, who were focused on their own exercises. _It couldn't be_, Kakashi thought.

He called Sakura over next. While they sparred Kakashi kept his eye on her knuckleheaded teammate. His stance had once again widened. When Sakura finished her spar and Kakashi called over Sasuke, Naruto ran off claiming he needed to use the restroom. He returned just before the jōnin's final spar ended. After giving Sasuke a short rest to catch his breath, the jōnin had all three teens resume drilling their kata. Sure enough, once Naruto returned his form had straightened out.

The mission that day was a simple weeding job, and was completed in a little under two hours. The genin bickered good-naturedly and grinned when the mission was successfully completed. Well, most of them grinned, Sasuke's shoulders just looked a little lighter and his face a bit less tense. After waving goodbye and repeating his usual instructions to meet at seven, Kakashi made his way to the training grounds to complete his own workout.

He was punching a training post when a cry of "Dynamic Entry!" alerted Kakashi to dodge.

"My Esteemed Rival!" His long-time friend cried, "How Youthful of You to be Training! How are You Enjoying Your Genin Team!" That last part was a question. It must have been, but the way is was voiced made Kakashi think that was open to interpretation.

"Maa," Kakashi pulled out his book, just in case, "its certainly different." He pretended to read as Gai ranted about his team, and eventually the topic of their competitions came up. Kakashi was hiding even further behind his book, when Gai began throwing out contingencies for failing their rapidly approaching contest of skill. Kakashi stilled, then gave his friend a once-over.

"You know…" he began with slight trepidation, shutting his book and slipping it into the kunai holster resting on his lower back, "instead of running 500 laps, there is a favor I'd like from you." Gai froze in place as soon as the words left Kakashi's mouth and studied the silver-haired man seriously before grinning.

"Very Well, My Friend, and if I Win, You Shall Spend Tomorrow Experiencing the Superiority of Green Spandex!"

* * *

The team split up once Kakashi reminded them to meet at seven the next day, and after thinking for a minute Kakashi took off after Naruto. Today he'd seen the same shift in skill and subtle use of Henge as the day before. He caught up at a slight trot, hands in pockets, then slowed so that he was walking casually next to the boy. Naruto obviously noticed right away, but when Kakashi didn't even glance over, he kept quiet, opting instead to shoot his new teacher odd glances from the corner of his eye. After walking for a while they were back in the training grounds and the blonde rounded on him.

"Why are you following me, Huh!?"

"Ahh, sorry about that. I was hoping to chat with you a little bit." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"And you couldn't talk to me _before_?"

"Nope!" the jōnin gave him a smile, "I'll talk with your teammates later, but first I wanted to check something with you."

"Okay then, what'd you want to know?" Naruto squinted up at him. Kakashi had been wondering how to broach the topic, and after struggling over it through most of the D-rank decided to just plunge right in. The blond knucklehead wasn't one for beating around the bush anyway.

"Naruto… what kind of underwear do you have on?"

"W-w-what!? P-pervert! What's it to you!?" Naruto sputtered indignantly.

"I heard from Hokage-sama and your academy teacher Iruka that you're not too fond of your lower anatomy, and I was wondering what you do with it while training."

"WHAT!?"

"Like I said, I heard from Iruka and Sandaime-sama that you like to Henge into a girl and was wond—" Naruto stared on wide-eyed as Kakashi was explaining, pale, until his words seemed to sink in and the blonde cut him off.

"Why are you guys even talking about it, HUH!? That's none of your business! Why do you have t' know!? DON'T TALK ABOUT ME BEHIND MY BACK!" Naruto exploded before he drew in on himself, "How could Iruka-sensei and Jii-chan just tell you, without warning me or asking me or anything?" The last part was said quietly and more towards himself. Naruto looked at Kakashi with pained eyes and a pinched face.

Before the jōnin had the chance to defend himself or the other adults, the blonde had turned and fled. Kakashi knew he needed to go after him, but had no idea what he would say once he caught up. Maybe he should have approached it differently? Right then he really wanted to go to the Third for advice, but wouldn't that be doing the exact thing that upset Naruto in the first place? Kakashi slowly unfroze from standing with one arm partially extended after the orange genin and his mouth slightly open. With a shunshin he quickly caught up to the distressed prepubescent teen who had reentered the housing district of Konoha.

"Naruto," he began, landing right in front of the blonde. With fences on either side giving nowhere particular to escape, Naruto cast around before giving Kakashi his grudging attention, "I'm sorry for approaching Hokage-sama and Iruka before coming to you. I didn't intend to snoop. As your jōnin sensei I want to be able to support you and help you become the greatest ninja you can be. I give you my word I wont tell anyone without your permission first, and I doubt Hokage-sama or Iruka will either. The only reason they told me is because I'm your jōnin sensei, okay?"

"No! That's not okay! I don't care if you _are _my sensei, it's none of your business!" Kakashi drew back, not expecting his apology to be tossed out so ferociously. He took a moment to gather himself, and to let the blonde do the same. He hadn't thought Naruto would be so hurt simply because of a conversation. They had been working together for two weeks, and since Naruto started using the female Henge at training, he'd thought the blonde was aware he knew, or at least wouldn't mind if the jōnin knew about his body dysphoria. It would seem he'd been mistaken.

"Alright, I understand," Kakashi responded at length, "I overstepped my boundaries, and I apologize for that. In the future I'll come to you directly with any questions. How does that sound?"

"…fine. But I'm not askin' you what you do with your thing though, so you better not be thinkin' I'll let you ask about mine." Hearing him, Kakashi sighed.

"Well I'll tell you what I do with mine," he held his hand up when Naruto opened his mouth to protest. Although he didn't beat the loud cry of 'Pervert!' before it came out, the blonde cooled down once he saw the serious look in Kakashi's eye.

"And I'll also tell you why I'm asking about yours, okay? Just listen to me for a minute, alright?" Kakashi waited for the nod to continue. "First, the reason I'm asking: Girls wear sports bras or kunoichi wrap to bind their chests when training or on a mission. Do you know why?"

"Why? Isn't it to keep pervs like you from staring?"

"Not quite. It's to keep from hurting themselves. As shinobi, we move around a lot running or fighting, and even if our opponents never land a hit we can still wind up hurt if we don't wear the proper clothes. Do you see where I'm going?" One look told him the blonde didn't. Kakashi took a minute to think. Naruto was clearly uncomfortable, and Kakashi couldn't say he was faring much better at the moment.

"…Ah!" the jōnin's eye crinkled in a smile, "you know what whiplash is, right?"

"Where someone knocks you back and your head gets flung around?"

"And you end up with a sore neck, sometimes worse."

"That's right! I remember Kiba once knocked me against the back of a desk and my head snapped to the side so fast me neck felt like I'd burned it!"

"That's the idea," Kakashi smiled along with Naruto's enthusiasm, glad to be back in his comfort zone, "But the thing is, Naruto, your head isn't the only thing that can inadvertently be hurt that way. That's why kunoichi almost always bind their chests."

"To keep their boobs from getting whiplash?"

"…Something like that… so with that idea in mind, can you guess why I'm asking you about your underwear?" Naruto thought for a minute with his hand to his chin before a look of absolute disgust and horror took over his face. Perhaps without noticing he leaned away from the older man:

"You think my THING is going to get whiplash!?"

"Maa, there is the possibility…" Kakashi resisted the urge to fidget. In his head he was cursing himself for ever accepting the position of jōnin sensei.

"I noticed you've been using a Henge recently, but without seeing drastic changes, I was wondering if you were using it to deal with your problem down there," he pointed between Naruto's legs, causing the boy to flush and grab at the crotch of his pants. Without waiting for a response, seeing the answer written on his face, Kakashi continued:

"There's nothing wrong with using a Henge if it doesn't change enough of you to throw off your balance. The danger is if it's dispelled when you take a hit or run low on chakra. When that happens, you need to have the appropriate gear on to continue fighting safely and comfortably. From watching you at practice, I'd say your clothes don't provide for either." The blonde looked down at his shuffling feet and kicked at the ground.

"So I can't Henge for practice anymore?"

"For now I'd prefer if you didn't, but what I have in mind might make you feel more comfortable without it anyway."

"Really?" Kakashi couldn't decide if the kid sounded more hopeful or skeptical.

"Do you know what a shinobi fundoshi is?" when the blonde shook his head Kakashi nodded in understanding, "think of it as the guy version of a sports bra. You'll hear more about it tomorrow with Sasuke, but I wanted to talk with you privately about using Henge first," Naruto gave an embarrassed grin and rubbed the back of his head. Kakashi hesitated, mulling over what he should say next, "it's a beautiful Henge," he decided on, "but you can't always maintain it; at least not yet. So I want Boy-Naruto to be able to fight just as well as Girl-Naruto, okay?"

"Yeah, I get it, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto's face was bright red, "but can I go now? This conversation really sucks."

"Ahh, you can go now. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Kakashi could see the trauma on the rookie genin's faces. After defeating Gai in an unusually intense competition involving standing still on a waterfall, they'd crashed Asuma and Kurenai's date. To explain their plan. Not to see their put out and embarrassed faces at being caught together. The "secret" couple agreed readily enough, most likely trying to get the pair of Konoha's most eccentric jōnin out of their hair. So now Kakashi stood watching six boys get psychologically scarred by the Sublime Green Beast of Konoha's self introduction. A glance to the side showed that Asuma was equally amused at the boy's distress. Sakura had been fortunate that Kurenai volunteered to take the girls for the day to give a kunoichi talk.

"Today, I Have Been Asked to Explain to All of You the Intricacies of Proper Shinobi Dress!" Gai called out jovially. The boys gave his outfit another look before turning to the other jōnin imploringly.

"Indeed, I Can See You Admiring My Youthful Green Spandex, But What We are Here to Discuss Today Goes Beyond Even This in Youthfulness!" Without further ado, Gai proceeded to pull out a green, stringy object. As he held it out a cloth panel attached to part of the looping cords flapped in the breeze. Absolute silence greeted the posing jōnin.

"Isn't that… a thong!?" Kiba asked in horror.

"Close, Kurenai's Youthful Student! This is What You Would Call a Shinobi Fundoshi!" Naruto shot Kakashi a look, which the jōnin refused to meet. Kakashi really didn't want to know whatever Naruto had to say to him. He was embarrassed enough as it was. He lifted his book a little higher. Sasuke was probably trying to burn holes in it with his eyes as well, and Kakashi felt the need for the added barrier.

"As You Can See, This Youthful Undergarment Protects Your Manly—" Asuma covered his next words with a cough, "—and Holds Them Close to the Body! You Will Notice! Despite My Manly Physique and the Definition My Outfit Provides For Leg, Arm, and Abdominal Muscle, Due to Wearing a Shinobi Fundoshi I am Able to Remain a Gentleman Where it Applies to Dress!" Kakashi had a few size jokes he would have liked to make about that, but with the already horrified genin standing right there he decided to hold onto them for another day. Besides, he owed Gai a big one for doing this for him.

"By Properly Wearing the Shinobi Fundoshi, You May Practice High Level Taijutsu and Participate Without Worry in Fast-pace or Physically-oriented Combat," Gai continued, "Now, Allow Me to Explain How to Properly Wear This Youthful Undergarment!" Kakashi did his best to tune out the explanation, but even he was feeling disturbed when Gai decided to demonstrate. At least he didn't take anything off for it.

When all was said and done, Gai handed each of the boys their own pair in various colors. Naruto received an orange fundoshi, and Kakashi couldn't decide if he looked pleased or unsettled. When they turned to leave all of the team seven guys were walking on stilted legs.

"Kakashi," his dark haired duckling glowered, "if you _ever_ make us do something like this again I'm petitioning for a new teacher."

"I think I've learned a new level for sucky conversations," Naruto added. Kakashi didn't have anything to say to that, so he just nodded stiffly.

* * *

**About one percent of readers review this story, and I am extremely grateful to them! To the 99% who have committed to reading this far but not reviewed, I would like to encourage you to leave a message as well! You don't have to say much, but I value your voices and opinions!**

**In this chapter I mentioned something called "kunoichi wrap" used by kinoichi to bind their chests. I ask readers to remember that this is a fictional product in a fictional world, and if any readers wish to bind their chests for performance or personal reasons to research and use safe methods! Using material like Ace bandages to bind is very unhealthy!**

**Shinobi Fundoshi is my idea of a shinobi version of a dance belt.**

**Published:**

**Words: 3,101**


	6. Ocean Swells

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited thus far!**

******Extra special thanks this week to Nu Hiep, this chapter needed a lot of help and wouldn't have turned out anywhere near as well as it did if it wasn't for them!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

* * *

Henge- Underneath the Underneath

Chpater 6: Ocean Swells

Kakashi watched his Ducklings run through their warm-up drills. As he set them to run through their taijutsu kata, he observed proudly how each of them had improved. It took a few days for Naruto to figure out and get comfortable wearing his new shinobi fundoshi, and if Kakashi wasn't mistaken Sasuke also had a slight adjustment period as well, but now they were acclimated and improving faster than ever. He couldn't see any obvious differences with Sakura, but she was keeping up with the boys and that was what mattered most in Kakashi's eyes.

Their mission that afternoon was to help carry bolts of cloth for a boutique that was changing locations to a wealthier neighborhood. He carried a few tucked under his arm while walking along side the kids; skimming through his favorite passages in his book.

"Ugh," Sakura groaned as she dropped her load in the new shop. As they were returning to the old store to receive the next load she piped up, "I never thought there'd be a time I never wanted to step foot in a clothes store again!"

"Hn," Sasuke agreed, "they should have just forgotten about snags or stains and rented a cart."

"I never wanted to go in one in the first place," Naruto added. Hearing this, Sakura snorted:

"Of course _you _wouldn't. Even for a guy you've got no sense of fashion."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh!?" the blonde jumped to the defensive. They were still heading back to the original store, although Naruto was practically doing the grapevine trying to face his teammates and walk at the same time.

"You don't look professional at all," Sakura lectured, "forget about fashion. But I guess it's normal for guys like you not to pay any attention to what you're wearing. It'd be really creepy if you knew shoes designed by Kanazawa compliment camisoles from Yamaguchi's Dresses, you know? That's more girl stuff anyway, but you should at least be able to dress professionally! Sasuke-kun, and even Kakashi-sensei, at least know how to dress appropriately for work." Kakashi wondered why he was an afterthought when he was the one in uniform.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna be Hokage someday! I don't have time to worry about stupid things like fashion! Orange is awesome, so as long as its got Orange in it that's good enough for me!" Despite the declaration, Kakashi could see how tightly Naruto's fists were clenched and decided it was time to intervene. They were almost back at the old shop anyway and it wouldn't do to be fighting when they got there.

"Maa," he waved his hand lacklusterly to get their attention, "I know plenty of women who couldn't care less about fashion, and several men that spend way too much time in front of a mirror. As long as it doesn't hinder your movements or slow you down I don't particularly care what you have on," he smiled encouragingly. It didn't seem like any of the ducklings were paying much attention though. Soon all their arms were again loaded with silk and cotton and they were retracing their steps back to the new location.

* * *

When team seven walked down the hall towards his office to report their completed mission, Hiruzen figured they'd ask for a second. The mission had gone quickly and there was still plenty of time to pick something else up. When he heard Kakashi's familiar drawl slowly making its way down the hall he prepared himself for the loudest of the rookie teams. It was the same every day. First through the door always came Naruto, then Sasuke, followed by Sakura and lastly Kakashi. Then the three kids would stand in a line; Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi would wait a little off to the side or behind them while they received their missions or gave a report. Kakashi worried over team dynamics, but that seemed like a cohesive dynamic to Hiruzen, one just had to look past the surface bickering.

His surprise then was understandable when Sasuke entered first and Kakashi came in between Naruto and Sakura. When the kids lined up, Hiruzen let one eyebrow raise when he saw Sasuke standing in the middle, caught between his two teammates. In his pereferal vision he could see Iruka sending him worried looks.

"Mission: Assist with moving shop merchandise a success, Hokage-sama," the young Uchiha said professionally. Hiruzen had the feeling something must have gone wrong however, for the dynamic to change so much from when the picked up the mission request. He let his eyes slide over them towards the jōnin, who shook his head in clear exasperation. Nothing too serious then, but he'd always known Naruto and Sakura's disputes to be one-sided on Haruno's part. He pulled out the scroll listing all the available D-ranks and that was when things started to go downhill...

Hiruzen was losing. He was losing badly. Slowly his lips twitched into a smile. Naruto had the darndest way of showing his maturity, stubbornly folding his arms across his chest and planting his rear on the ground facing away from his leader in a huff. Neither of his genin teammates seemed to make anything out of it, so this behavior must have been fairly common, but the old Hokage could practically feel the mortification radiating off of the ex-ANBU commander.

"A C-rank, hmm," He cut off Iruka's impromptu lecture and looked at the masked jōnin to see if the kids had his vote of confidence. Receiving a slight nod, he called in the client. When the door slid open the client stepped out. He took one look at the team, tipped up his bottle of sake, and took several long swigs.

"You'll be putting your lives on the line protecting me on my return home and until I complete my bridge. Are you sure these kids are up to the task? Particularly that shortest one with the dumb-looking face," Tazuna drawled drunkenly. It took a moment for Naruto to realize whom he meant, and then Hiruzen was resisting the urge to massage his temples listening to the following explosion. At least Kakashi seemed to be on top of things. _There really is a wide range of maturity in kids Naruto's age_, he mused.

* * *

Walking along the road at a civilian pace with Tazuna was both relaxing and beneficial. Ralaxing because there was no danger expected until they reached Wave in a few day's time, and beneficial because it gave Naruto and Sakura time to move past their first real argument. At least on Naruto's part, that is. Both Kakashi and Naruto knew the blonde could get under Sakura's skin, but Kakashi would bet money this was the first time Sakura had gotten under Naruto's.

There was now a large hole in the armpit of his jacket that was the result of Sakura giving it an unusually strong tug. Kakashi had grabbed his travel sewing kit when he was packing his bag so he'd be able to fix it after they made camp, but that didn't do much for Naruto's cloudy mood, and Sakura had yet to apologize for almost succeeding in her efforts to literally tear the blonde's jacket off. From the long look on her face, it was more out of shame and embarrassment than anything vindictive, but Naruto had no way of knowing that.

After about a half hour of walking Sasuke made his way over to Kakashi and shot him a glare. The jōnin pretended his smile was for the contents of his book, the worn thing gave him so many excuses, and sent silent praises to the antisocial boy.

"Kakashi," the dark haired boy ground out when the jōnin didn't look over, "it's annoying being stuck between Sakura and the sissy."

"Is that so?" He asked when the boy didn't say anything more. He was given another glare, this time accompanied by a huff, and Kakashi decided to throw the boy a bone. He did get his lowest marks on teamwork after all. It was likely the boy was actually lost about what he should do. "What do you want to change?" he prompted.

"Tch. I want them to get over their stupid fight and actually pay attention to the mission," Sasuke pushed his arms farther into his pockets and Kakashi could see from the bulges that his hands were balled into fists.

"Alright then. So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to make them stop fighting."

"Maa, but its so quiet now I can finally enjoy my book..." Sasuke glared even harder and right before he let his anger speak for him, Kakashi decided on how he wanted to give his next prompt so it wouldn't sound too patronizing or instructional, "Maybe I should make everyone switch outfits. Sakura probably wont complain if you're the one wearing orange-"

"No!" Everyone glanced over at where the two had been walking, but when neither said anything they lost interest and returned to their own conversations and sulking. When all was clear Sasuke sent the jōnin yet another glare.

"No? I thought that was a great idea. At least I had one."

"I don't know why I bothered even asking," Sasuke kicked at a pebble in passing, "The sissy just needs to get over himself and his lame jacket."

"Really? That's all? I was thinking Sakura would look just like the future Mrs. Uchiha in your shorts and tee-shirt..."

"No!" this time Sasuke managed to keep his protest to a reasonable hiss, barely. The look on his face was priceless. "She should just get over herself and apologize for tearing the idiots jacket."

"So why don't you go tell her that? Minus the getting over herself part, that is," Kakashi grinned as the boy huffed and moved away. Five minutes later he was next to Sakura and the jōnin's keen ears could hear him saying 'just get it over with and apologize already. Who cares what the sissy's wearing?' and watched as Sakura swallowed and nodded before going over and offering to fix Naruto's jacket for him when they got back to Konoha. Naruto visibly brightened, and then it was as if something clicked and the team was back to its normal dynamic. Sakura started asking Tazuna questions, Naruto was being loud, and Sasuke was practically grinning at the backs of his teammate's heads as he followed along. Kakashi wondered if he was surprised at himself.

Kakashi was thrown for a loop when he noticed a puddle in the middle of the road. He reached out his senses, and sure enough there was more than a little chakra inside it. It was probably concealing someone then. Would they be nuke nin or part of a village? Who were they after? The jōnin sensei prepared himself, and when the attack came he used kawarimi and concealed himself among the branches of a nearby tree.

Kakashi's heart rate spiked. He should have known Naruto would be the next target once he was out of the picture! He'd assumed the unknown ninja would go for Tazuna or Sasuke, but instead they'd gone right for Naruto. And the blonde had frozen. Thank goodness Sasuke was so desensitized and was able to jump in. Why!? Were they after the Kyuubi, or was he merely the weakest link to be gotten rid of? Kakashi's grip on the branch he was concealed on tightened.

One of the demon brothers, he could recall them now, made a break for Tazuna and Kakashi felt his system flood with relief. Not wasting any time, he jumped down and incapacitated the one still facing Naruto before jumping over to get the other. It was all he could do to keep his worry out of his voice.

"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away," the jōnin really hadn't anticipated the protective burning in his chest watching the kids fight for the first time, "I let you get hurt. I didn't anticipate you freezing up like that." He needed to hurry and tie up the rogue chunin, but then Sasuke had to go and bait Naruto by calling him a sissy, again. He really needed to get his hands free to take care of Naruto's wound. He didn't know how strong of a poison they used, but considering the village they originated from, Kakashi was worried at the potential lethality. And the knucklehead wouldn't stay still! Sasuke at least should know better.

It took all of Kakashi's training not to maim the drunk architect and tie up the two nuke nin. He carefully modulated his voice as he began drilling the client, but hearing Kakashi, Sakura came in with her own worries.

"Let's just go back," her voice wavered a bit, "we need to hurry and get Naruto to a doctor." Well, Kakashi had hoped to show the kids how to deal with poison on the field then take Tazuna as far as safely possible before dropping the mission or sending the kids back. Returning now would be like leaving after getting bucked off by a horse. Sakura wouldn't be able to get back on; he could see it in her eyes. If they turned back now she would be unable to move forward. He glanced at Sasuke. He would be fine if they returned now, and he knew Naruto wouldn't let the loss obstruct his goals… It would be best to have an iryōnin check that the poison wouldn't do any lasting damage anyway. He could deal with Sakura after. He decided to test how Naruto felt about returning. He was Sakura's excuse after all…

* * *

The soaked jōnin limped over to his ducklings as he explained the role of the hunter ninja and the lack of significance when it came to an opponents age, all the while keeping a weary eye on the hunter. He had a large bounty on his own head as well, after all, and he wasn't in any condition to continue fighting. One it was clear the blonde wouldn't attack, the masked hunter dropped to the ground to collect his bounty before leaping off. Naruto ran to where the shinobi had landed and there his knees crumpled.

Kakashi watched as Naruto pounded his fists into the ground. Seeing death for the first time… He'd performed admirably during the fight against Zabuza, managing to keep his head better than either of his teammates, but Kakashi knew the blonde had always held glorified ideas of shinobi life. Sure, he understood there was death, but not the sudden and easy death the hunder-nin ninja had delivered. Kakashi gave him some time.

Sakura seemed to be handling having witnessed death much better than the jōnin anticipated. She had kept her wits about her enough to recall information on hunter nin and reprimand her teammate, although that could be a sign the death hadn't sunk in yet. Sasuke was… quiet.

"Alright, we need to get Tazuna the rest of the way home," Kakashi instructed. He made to take a step when suddenly it hit him. If someone asked the trigger, Kakashi might say it was the sudden sharp pain from the rock lodged in his shoe, but whatever it was, a jolt went through Kakashi's system and his adrenaline failed him. There was a moment of sudden disconnect from his body where all his feelings, sounds, and smells were muted, where everything took on a washed-out and overly bright sheen. He could feel the sluggishness of his own mind as realization hit him right before the blackness in his peripheral vision leapt forward and Kakashi knew nothing more.

* * *

Kakashi sat under a large tree, crutch propped next to him and book in hand. On his lap was a knapsack Tazuna's daughter Tsunami packed for him full of onigiri to snack on, which he did so gratefully. He could also hear birds singing between the periodic shouts and thuds as his ducklings attempted to experience true flight. At one point when they were all back on the ground Naruto issued one of his regular challenges.

"Hn, there's no way a sissy like you can beat me," Sasuke growled, glare shifting from the tree to his blonde teammate. Kakashi sighed under his breath. Ever since Sasuke figured out comparing Naruto to a girl riled the blonde up, he'd been laying it on thick. The jōnin doubted Sasuke held any actual contempt for girls, he'd just stated acting that way for the reaction. Occasionally Kakashi would reprimand the boy, but he wouldn't always be there and Naruto needed to learn to thicken his skin or stand up for himself. From the reactions, it would probably be the later. The nature of the taunts was also slowly sucking Sakura into the fray, as her female sensibilities could only take so much sexism in a day. It was good to see her taking Naruto's side occasionally, and if Kakashi interfered too much she'd never get to the point of intervening herself.

Sasuke interrupted the blonde's shouts with a smirk, "Come on Princess, I'm getting to that branch before lunch is out." Naruto flushed, before collecting his wits and shouting that he wasn't a princess, he was the hero that rescued them, and took off up his tree. When they crashed again, Kakashi decided to call out:

"You know, I think I've rescued more princes than I have princesses. Many times working alongside Kunoichi."

"Yeah! Take that!" It was Sakura that called out, but Naruto also brightened. The blonde had turned away from his teammates, but Kakashi caught sight of his secret grin before it shifted to his regular loud one and Naruto called out his agreement and charged up his tree with renewed determination. Sakura walked slowly up her's following the boys, and sat on a branch halfway between their higher marks and the ground. "I'll be rescuing princesses before either of you," she bragged, "since I mastered tree walking first! Don't look down on girls!"

* * *

The ninja-girl, Sakura tapped the torn picture hanging on the wall while the ninja-boys finished eating and the teacher-ninja lounged in his chair.

"Why is this photo torn?" She asked innocently enough. So Tazuna began his tale, or rather Kaiza's tale, as well as he knew it. Parts of if, particularly the beginning were second hand, because Inari had fled the room as soon as the girl asked her question and Tsunami chased after him.

"… and saved Inari from drowning. Those two were as close as any blood-related father and son could be, and Inari truly looked up to him. The whole village looked up to him. He lived under the philosophy of protecting those he held dear with his own two arms, and it seemed like there was nothing that man couldn't accomplish… A strong but rugged man who looked every part the hero, and the whole village really did see him as one…"

Tazuna's eyes turned inwards as he continued his tale, seeing the events play out as he had time and again in his sleep. The three young shinobi were all smiling listening to the feats of bravery Inari's hero had performed, but the older one, Kakashi, remained grave, not having forgotten the absence of the man from the house. Tazuna's words grew darker as he described Gato's arrival in the village and Kaiza's defiance.

"…and then he was executed publicly. Since then this town has lost all hope, and Inari has stopped believing in heroes," Tazuna finished his tale. There was a heavy silence, and then the blonde fell out of his chair onto the floor. He slowly pushed himself up on shaky legs.

"Naruto," the teacher-ninja spoke up, "you've built up too much chakra already. You need to rest before you go and train any more."

"I'm gonna prove it…" the squirt panted, "I'm gonna prove that heroes do exist!" He was making his way slowly to the door despite his teammate's protests.

"A pipsqueak like you… what are you hoping to do alone?" Tazuna shot out after taking a long swig of his drink, "You're just a short little brat, scrawny as a girl, what good will an extra few minutes of training do before you collapse, eh? Leave that fight to your teacher," but the blonde was already out the door.

* * *

Haku paused with his hand above the blonde's throat, a few centimeters away from ending his life. Cursing himself internally, he gave the younger boy's shoulder a shake. The conversation after that was dodgy, as Haku struggled internally on weather killing the blonde would do more good or harm. On the one hand, killing him would alert the Konoha ninja and Zabuza-sama wasn't ready for a confrontation. Haku didn't want to admit it, but he also wanted to avoid killing if at all possible. The jōnin would have to be eliminated, but killing a ten-year-old genin surely wouldn't have much of an impact on the overall battle.

The conversation brought forth memories Haku would rather have not dwelt on, despite his alertness to the situation. The blonde just seemed so young, so innocent. He obviously hadn't seen death before Haku made his move with Zabuza, so when he replied earnestly after only a slight hesitation that he already knew people became truly strong when they had someone precious to protect Haku was a bit surprised.

It was time to make his retreat, he had the herbs he needed and the Konoha genin hadn't sowed any signs of suspicion, so Haku decided to say one last thing to distract himself from the upcoming battle with the bright kid:

"By the way," he smiled, imagining the face the animated kid would make, "I'm a guy."

"WHAAAAT!?" Haku hadn't expected so… loud of a reaction, but as he went to walk away the blonde came in again, "Wait! Wait! Is your body wrong to!? Is that why you look like a girl?"

"Is my body… what?" Haku turned back.

"I mean… I mean…" the blonde, Naruto, ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "I mean are you a guy-guy, or are you like me?"

"Am I a what? I don't see what you mean. I am a guy."

"But you're dressed like a girl, see? You even talk like one. Were you supposed to be a girl, then?"

"I… I…" Haku walked over and sat back down next to the blonde. What on earth was he getting at? "Please calm down and explain more clearly what it is you are trying to say." It looked like the blonde was choking on something, and then Haku realized it was on his own words.

"I mean," Naruto's voice dropped down to a hush, as if he were divulging village secrets, "were you born in the wrong body to?"

"…No, I don't believe so," Haku tried to keep it from sounding like a question. What in the world? "You think that because I dress feminine, I must want to be a girl?"

"Don't you? Why else would you dress and act like one?" The blonde's voice returned to normal.

"Dressing like a girl wont turn me into one, the same way as dressing like a guy wont turn someone into a guy. I just do what is comfortable for me."

"But then everyone thinks you're a girl? Doesn't that bother you?" Naruto scrunched his eyes shut.

"I don't really mind being misgendered since I present as a female anyway. I don't have any strong feelings on the matter. I know I'm a guy no matter how I dress or what anyone else says." The only person whose opinion mattered to him was Zabuza-sama's and he couldn't care less what his apprentice wore.

"So you're a guy who likes girl stuff? But doesn't want to be a girl."

"I suppose. Do you want to dress like a girl to?" Haku had not felt so out of his depths since he was chased from his home.

"Hmm," Naruto crossed his arms in thought, "I don't know. I like orange, and according to Sakura-chan girls don't wear orange. And girl clothes are a lot tighter, aren't they? Then everyone would notice when I—" he seemed to catch himself and stopped. "Gah! Maybe sometimes I do." He decided on.

"Well then," Haku smiled, "why not sometimes give it a try. I have to leave now, but perhaps our paths shall cross again. Until then." Haku rose and turned to walk away, this time without interruption. The thought of their next encounter was sobering, and for the first time, Haku noticed the presence behind one of the trees along the clearing. He'd let his guard down trying to understand the blonde's questions. He glanced out of the corner of his eye as the dark haired boy stepped out and they passed each other by. _One of the other genin._ He needed to hurry and alert Zabuza. If he'd recognized Haku's voice… they had less time than he'd initially anticipated.

* * *

Sasuke excused himself to go take a stroll when Naruto didn't show up for breakfast. He was making his way through the forest to the general area he'd seen the dobe training last when he heard it.

"WHAAAAT!? Wait! Wait! Is your body wrong to!? Is that why you look like a girl?" It was undeniably Naruto, although the questions didn't make any sense.

"Is my body… what?" _That voice…_ something in that voice made Sasuke hesitate and move behind the trees. He knew it from somewhere, but who could it be this far from Konoha?

"I mean… I mean… I mean are you a guy-guy, or are you like me?" _Like the dobe? _But Naruto was a guy to… right? He'd seen it himself in the guys' bathroom at the academy. Sasuke crept closer to listen in. Something about the strangers voice put him on edge. He could think on the content of the conversation later, but who was the dobe talking to!? He kept listening, filing what they were saying away to examine later, making certain it didn't have anything to do with the mission or the village.

"…perhaps our paths shall cross again. Until then." Sasuke took this as his cue to step out and begin walking towards the dobe. It wasn't until they were passing each other and the height and body type became apparent that Sasuke realized. He needed to tell Kakashi, but by the looks of things he had a while before the fake hunter-nin would make any move. If he'd wanted to he'd have already killed the dobe as well as Sasuke after all.

"Teme!" Naruto cut through his thoughts, face flushed, "How long have you been there!?"

"Dobe… do you have any idea what time it is? Everyone's already eating."

"I've been training, and that guy that just left said I'll be super strong!"

"Tch, as if a sissy like you could have already mastered tree climbing."

"I'll prove it!" Naruto jumped up, and Sasuke didn't stop him from charging up the nearest tree, didn't stop himself from chasing after when he was taunted either. Falling into their usual routine settled the knot in his stomach from listening to the strange conversation that didn't make any sense. Naruto was still Naruto, then. He'd figure out what the blonde was saying later.

He and the dobe were resting in the branches when Sakura and Kakashi found them. When they were all on the ground he broke the news about the hunter-nin.

"What!? Why didn't you say anything, Teme!?" Naruto's fists went up like they always did when he was feeling defensive.

"Do you think he recognized you or Naruto?" Sakura cut in. Sasuke felt a twinge of frustration.

"Of course they recognized us. We've got our hitai-ate and the same outfits on as before," Sasuke brushed her comment aside.

"Sasuke's right, he would have realized before approaching Naruto that he was a Leaf ninja. What matters here is if he thinks we figured out he was the hunter-nin from before or not," Sasuke nodded. Kakashi's voice when he next spoke was grave, "We should expect the next attempt on Tazuna's life sooner than anticipated. We'll increase the guard starting today. Let's return to the house."

* * *

**My longest Henge chapter yet! I hope it turned out well, so please let me know what you thought of it! **

**Published: April 24, 2014**

**Words: 4,944**


	7. Crashing Waves

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited thus far!**

**Thank you to Nu Hiep for all their help with this story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from the creation or distribution of this fanfiction.**

* * *

Henge- Underneath the Underneath

Chapter 7: Crashing Waves

Kakashi wasted no time explaining the situation when the returned to the house. Everyone gathered at the table while Naruto ate a late breakfast. "For today, Sakura, Sasuke and I will go with Tazuna to the bridge and Naruto will get his strength back here. – You're exhausted from spending the night running up and down trees, I can see it," he cut the blonde off when he began to protest.

"What about training?" Sakura asked, glancing between Naruto and Sasuke, "Neither of them have made it all the way to the top yet."

"Training will have to wait. One more day's worth of training wont do as much good as a day of rest at this point."

"But what about you, Kakashi-sensei? You're still using the crutch!"

"Maa, I'll be alright," Kakashi smiled. If it came to a fight, he was banking on Zabuza not being fully recovered either.

"Why, not that I'm ungrateful," Tazuna cut in, "but when I lied about the mission, why didn't you just drop it and go home?" There was a brief pause.

"'To see what is right without doing it bespeaks an absence of courage. Like master, like man.' It's a teaching from the late Hokage," Kakashi explained. There was a stunned silence, broken only when Inari's sniffles and tears grew in volume.

"How… how can you say that!? No matter how hard you work, or what cool-sounding things you say, you're no match for Gato's men! You're all gonna die! The strong will always beat the week in the end!" Inari pushed out of his chair to shout. The air suddenly became tenser. Telling a ninja going off to battle they were going to die wasn't typically well-received. Before Kakashi could cut in, however, Naruto was growling out a response.

"Shut up!" the blonde's voice came out from where it rested on his arms, "I'm not like you."

"You don't know anything! Sticking your nose into our business when you don't know anything! I'm not like you acting all happy without knowing one thing about pain! You're nothing but a shrimpy sissy with cool words!"

"So you're just going to cry all day like the lead in some tragedy? An idiot like you can just cry forever! You crybaby!" Naruto was sitting up glaring.

"Naruto! That's going too far!" Sakura reprimanded, but Naruto just shoved out of his seat and turned towards the door.

"Naruto." Kakashi cut in with no room for disobedience. "We could be attacked as early as this afternoon. Go cool off in the bath then get some rest."

"Tch," but the blonde turned around towards the washroom anyway, "I hate bathes." After that everyone dispersed to finish getting ready for the day, and Kakashi went to have a talk with Inari.

* * *

The bridge was tense that morning. Tazuna informed the workers they would be sent home for the day once they broke for lunch, and seeing the three shinobi who accompanied him today the workers all carried a feeling off unease with them as they completed their work. Several didn't make it that long and ducked out early. Kakashi could see the worry in his students' eyes as they watched the construction. As if to comfort them, Kakashi lounged against the bridge wall with his eye at half-mast. They didn't need to know he was straining his other senses trying to detect any approaching danger.

It was when the fog set in that the screams and cries began. Sakura, and even Sasuke, seemed spooked but had moved with Kakashi to surround Tazuna as soon as they noticed the change. To Kakashi, he knew no one had been killed by the groans and whimpers following each pained shout, and for that the nuke-nin had his gratitude. He couldn't tell his genin though or Zabuza might change his mind simply to regain the scare factor. By the sound of things, though, it was the apprentice doing most of the work.

Before long, their opponents came after Team Seven. Four Mizu Bunshin, under Henge to look like Zabuza, but the chakra didn't lie. Sasuke didn't need much prompting to take care of them, and soon the two students were fighting.

* * *

Inari was pretending not to watch Naruto glare out the window when his mom went to get the door. Naruto was in his tee-shirt and orange pants and had his hitai-ate in one hand like he could say he was resting if he just didn't put it on. There was a big banging noise, and then his mom was lying on the ground holding her head. Inari heard someone laughing from where the banging noise came. He looked to the window, but Naruto wasn't there anymore.

"Please, please, you can take me, just leave Inari out of this!" His mom begged. Two scary looking men came in with loud steps. The first thing Inari saw was that they didn't take off their shoes, then he saw that they both had swords out and were laughing. Inari knew right then that these were Gato's men, and they were going to hurt his mom and him. He had to pee really badly. Where was Naruto!? He saw his mom yelling at them and begging, then she was yelling at him.

She was telling him to run away and Inari really wanted to! But they were going to hurt her, he was sure of it! He was scared, he knew he was scared, 'cause he was weak. And then he was crying. 'Crybaby!' He heard Naruto saying in his head. And he was sitting on the porch listening to Kakashi tell him that Naruto was tired of crying. And he was tired of crying! Suddenly Inari's stomach felt hot, really hot, and his face was starting to feel warm to. The two men weren't looking at him, they were looking at his mom, and then Inari's eyes were on the empty clay teacup in front of him, and then that cup was in his hands and the hotness in his stomach was pushing out, out, out, and the cup was flying-!

The cup hit the man standing closer to Inari on the elbow, and he turned with a mean smile. His mouth was moving, but all Inari could hear was the ocean whooshing in and out of his ears. The man was getting closer to him and someone was yelling. His mom was yelling. And he was yelling! Inari wondered what he was yelling. The man not walking at him was watching, watching, then he was falling. Then the man walking at him was turning, then falling, thumping, and Naruto was looking down-up at Inari from the ceiling and his mom was running over.

"Sorry I'm late!" Naruto was smiling, "but the Hero always arrives just in time to save the day. Thanks to your distraction I was able to get my weapons and save your mom!" Naruto was in his jacket and his hitai-ate was on his forehead. He had a ninja knife in his hand, but then he was tying up the two men, and they were making groaning sounds.

"Hey…" Naruto said, "I'm sorry for calling you a crybaby, you can just forget I said it. I was wrong about you, you know, you're actually really strong." And Inari's chest was feeling hot now, hot and tight, and he was crying.

"Darn it! I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore! Now you'll call me a crybaby again!"

"It's alright to cry when you're happy!" Naruto said, and then Inari was crying even more.

"I'm sorry to!" he cried, "I'm sorry for calling you weak, and a sissy, and not looking like a hero, and—"

"Not looking like a hero!? When'd you ever say that!? Heroes can look like anything, you know! Not all hero's have supper muscly arms like your dad did, you know!?" Inari thought he was crying, but now he was laughing.

"You don't look like a hero should at all! If a sissy like you can be a hero, then anyone can!"

"Gah! Whatever." Then Naruto was smiling again like he wasn't mad, "Well then I'll leave the rest to you. If Gato sent people here, they're going to need me at the bridge," and Inari nodded.

"You can count on me!"

* * *

It was a contest of speed. Sasuke was able to augment his thanks to his training, but it wouldn't be enough and Kakashi could easily predict the outcome of their fight. If he or Sakura tried to interfere…

"Sakura," He barked, "No matter what happens, maintain your guard on Tazuna!" He decided to take the risk and look back at her, "No matter what, understand? I promise, I won't let my comrades die." He waited for her shaky nod, before he leapt to the side and sent a barrage of shuriken at the nuke-nin. With a concealed grin Kakashi felt rather than saw, the rebel ninja followed after.

He cursed his reduced speed, Kakashi really could have used another day to recover, but Zabuza's pace was slower this time around as well. He leapt in with his kunai, and Zabuza parried with the edge of his oversized blade. When the force grew too much for either to maintain they jumped and let the opposition do the work of sending them back several meters.

Again the retired ANBU moved to the side, keeping his eyes trained on the master of Silent Killing. The rogue jōnin followed after before cutting in on an angle and swiping sideways at Kakashi's spleen. When the Leaf ninja dodged he moved farther out. Watching each other carefully they came in near perfect synchronization to an abrupt halt and sped straight at the other.

Their blades met to hold them in a standstill, and Kakashi utilized the close proximity to make eye contact and cast a suggestive genjutsu on the Mist deserter. He could reinforce it each time they clashed like that, which would be every fifth move, and begin layering on more and more. Five moves later, Kakashi implanted a feeling of worry over the apprentices' fight into Zabuza's head. If he didn't care for the survival of the fake hunter it wouldn't have much of an impact, but going off of Naruto's conversation with the boy earlier that morning, chances were that wasn't be the case.

* * *

Sakura wanted to run towards Sasuke and provide whatever aide she could when she saw the strange mirrors reflecting light through the fog. She wanted to, but all it would take for Zabuza to dash over and slit Tazuna-san's throat would be a moment's distraction for Kakashi-sensei. She couldn't let her guard down; Sasuke was a protégé and could take care of himself. What she needed to do was stay sharp and make sure nothing happened to Tazuna-san. She took a deep breath.

When she focused on her ears Sakura could pinpoint the angle Kakashi-sensei was fighting at through the ringing of colliding blades. Tazuna-san's breath came loud and heavy and dry from behind her, drowning out many other sounds, but Sakura could still clearly hear Sasuke fighting with the fake hunter-nin and the occasional groan from one of the workers farther off. Mayhap they were dying, and she was just standing here with a kunai in hand biding her time. Sakura did not like standing still. The workers were too far away and she couldn't tell how many were alive from the low echoing moans. Beneath all of this was the sound of the ocean rumbling below; foreboding and waiting for the world of the bridge to collapse and be swallowed in the sea.

When Sakura focused on her nose she could smell salt and wetness and brine from the ocean and mist, she could smell the bitter residue from wet stone, accentuated by the dust and dirt of construction. She could smell the briskness of purified water like snowmelt coming with the downdraft from Sasuke's fight, perhaps in relation to the strange mirrors. She could smell the sweat from hours of hard labor and fear wafting off Tazuna behind her. She could smell trees, but worst of all, Sakura could smell blood. At first it had just come from the direction of the workers, small bits of it carried on the mist as if intentionally, but now the metallic scent seemed to surround her. She knew, logically, that this couldn't be true, but the more Sakura focused on her smell, the more the scent of blood seemed to permeate the air. She hated this.

Sakura decided to switch over to what she could feel. She could feel the stone underneath her feet and her dress and hair clinging to her in their wetness. She could feel sweat rolling along her cheek and down the ridge of her spine. She could feel the cold metal at the edges of her grip, and the warm metal curled into her palm where she had held on to her kunai for so long. She could feel cold coming from the direction of Sasuke's fight, adding to her suspicions that the strange mirrors were in fact made of ice, impossible though it may seem. Most reassuring of all though, she could feel heat from Tazuna behind her, assuring her he was alive, and the world hadn't frozen over in a strange, icy hell.

Finally Sakura stretched her senses to try and feel the chakra surrounding her. She'd not really understood how to sense chakra before, but now, separated from her team, she futilely imagined she could feel where the others were. That devil voice of reason in the back of her head whispered the futility of the exercise given the cloak of the chakra-infused mist, but still she tried.

Perhaps because of this she turned instinctually to the left. She could hear steps, smell sweat carried on a breeze she felt running alongside the small grey silhouette she could see. And suddenly Sakura could sense hope building inside her chest as the figure drew closer and the grey cast of their relief melted into orange as Naruto ran up.

* * *

Kakashi and Zabuza leapt apart. This time neither of them ran or initiated any jutsu. Both were panting heavily: this had mostly been a taijutsu battle as they were both still recovering from the stresses their previous encounter placed on their chakra coils. Kakashi could feel blood trickling along his inner arm the warmth from blood soaking into cloth on his thigh. There were numerous nicks and scrapes smattering his person, and Zabuza was faring no better.

"So what happened to that blonde sissy of yours, Kakashi? Chicken out?" Zabuza threw out between heavy breaths. Kakashi could see how twitchy he'd become, how he forced his eyes not to look towards where the kids were fighting. It would seem Zabuza was almost at his breaking point with that genjutsu. Kakashi smiled.

"Naruto? No, he's just resting, but don't worry Sasuke and Sakura will be more than enough to take care of your little fake hunter." It was a lie. It was only a matter of time before Sasuke was overpowered, but Kakashi hoped he'd slow the fake hunter-nin enough for Sakura to take him down. He was worried, but if the laborers were any indication, there was hope Sasuke wouldn't be outright killed. Chances were if Zabuza defeated him he would spare the kids as well.

"Ha! As if they could beat Haku!" But Zabuza was still twitching, "But you might want to drop that orange one, Kakashi, heard he's a first-class sissy. Thought he might have some potential after pulling that stunt in the forest—" _a clear demonstration of Naruto's mastery of_ _Henge_, Kakashi thought "—but a cross-dresser's got no business as a shinobi."

"Maa, he was very inspired after meeting your student…" Kakashi left the statement hanging.

They ran to meet each other again, and their blades hissed and sparked with each collision. They separated and threw out insults and tried to provoke the other while catching their breath, then they were dashing parallel to each other again, tossing out several jutsu.

* * *

Sasuke didn't want to say he was losing, but it would be a lie to say he was winning. He was too slow. Maybe if he'd finished his training…. But no, he didn't have time to think about that now. He was dodging, dodge-dodge-throw-duck-spin-thrust, and the ice user was slowly bleeding him out through the small cuts along his arms, legs, and sides. Sasuke knew he had a few needles lodged into his back, but he didn't have time to contort himself to find them and yank them out.

"Teme!" A voice suddenly trumpeted from just outside the icy dome, "You look like you're losing!" and then the idiot was jumping straight into the dome trap without so much as a second thought.

"Usuratonkachi! Did you even think before you jumped in here!?"

"Teme! As if I'd just stand by while you got your butt kicked!"

"I don't need your help to win!" Which was a lie, but he needed to get Naruto out of the dome. At that point the ice-user grew tired of waiting and launched another slew of senbon at the pair.

"Well you got it anyway!" the idiot retorted when they moved together again.

"Tch, whatever. Like I'd lose to such a sissy fighter," but Sasuke was grateful because he knew he'd been slowly losing.

"Jerk! Who are you calling a sissy, huh!?" Naruto called as they avoided the next barrage of icy needles.

"Both of you!" the dark haired boy snapped back, "you're both sissies so shut up and focus!"

Naruto finally turned his focus on their opponent, but this resulted in him shouting at the many reflections instead of his teammate.

"And you! You're that guy I met in the forest this morning! I helped you pick plants to heal your friend! That was Zabuza, wasn't it!?" The blonde pointed wildly.

"Indeed. You should not be so quick to trust others, Naruto-kun." The atmosphere of the fight shifted dramatically after that. Naruto spent a lot of his time yelling at the fake hunter who fooled him, and Haku – he finally gave his name – spent a lot of time telling his story and how he ended up serving Zabuza.

"Hn," Sasuke threw out when he was getting frustrated. The idiot was practically in tears listening to the fake hunter-nin's story. At this rate he might as well throw the fight! "So that Zabuza taught you that sissy way of fighting? I don't see it." The reflections wavered for the briefest of moments before the Haku in each mirror fixed their gaze on the Uchiha.

"It matters not what you think of my method of fighting. It will be sufficient for defeating you, and if I must kill by heart and become a true shinobi, then so be it." The ice user fixed his gaze on the done next to him, then without a word the next round of dodging and blocking started, punctuated by Naruto's angry and frustrated shouts.

"Perhaps, if we had met under different circumstances, we could have been friends," Haku lamented, having patiently explained his role as the rogue ninja's tool. Sasuke could understand what he was trying to say; he'd heard similar things so many times as a young child, but Naruto refused to accept the reality of shinobi life.

Again the fight resumed suddenly and Sasuke was nearly taken out then and there. He hadn't been paying close enough attention and missed the trigger. There had to be a trick to the fake's mirrors, some trick. All Sasuke had to go off of was the hunch that it was tied in with his speed, but his eyes weren't fast enough to catch anything. He strained harder, and called out for Naruto to assist him when a vague feeling washed over him and Sasuke knew he was catching on. Senbon were flying from all directions, and Naruto wasn't quick enough to dodge, leaving Sasuke to block for him. The dobe then called out a dozen clones, crowding the originals in, and they took the next wave while Sasuke caught his breath and tried to analyze.

"One more time, Sissy! I almost have it!" And as the next wave hit Sasuke could finally see! The ice-user was jumping between mirrors to throw the senbon. If he could just time it right, Sasuke could land a hit!

"Teme... your eyes!" But Sasuke already knew. He'd awakened his Sharingan.

He told the blonde to keep using his Kage Bunshin while he figured out the pattern. Naruto couldn't create clones fast enough, and it left the two open each time he tried, but it gave Sasuke just enough time to catch a glimps of the real Haku darting in between mirrors. But he wasn't fast enough to land the hit! His training… neither he nor Naruto were fairing well, breaths coming harsh and heads pounding, and when the next barrage came, it was all the Uchiha could do to push his teammate to the ground and take the blows himself.

"Sasuke… why…!?"

"Heh, don't know, my body just moved on its own…" Sasuke could feel the ground under him rocking from side to side, "Never thought I'd be done in by a handful of sewing needles..." then blackness fell across his sight and he was weightless for a moment until cold stone pressed comforting against him and he released himself to the cooling embrace.

* * *

He and Zabuza were running parallel when Kakashi felt it; the unmistakable chakra of the Kyūbi. When did Naruto get here, and what had triggered the release? Had the seal broken? No, there wasn't enough chakra for the Fourth's seal to have been released, it was just a portion of the bijū's chakra, but that was more than enough to put both the jōnin on high alert. He needed to finish this quickly. Kakashi turned again to his opponent, but the nuke-nin's attention was where the malevolent energy was coming from.

"What is that chakra!?" The Mist deserter's voice carried on his exhale, "A jinchūriki. One of your kids is a jinchūriki!?" Zabuza dashed for the apprentices, dropping all pretenses of fighting Kakashi. _No!_ Kakashi's eye widened, _the genjutsu I cast? _It must have been the final straw tipping the balance in Zabuza's decision.

Kakashi dashed after him, but his exhaustion slowed his steps. He wouldn't make it. Swiping some blood from the cut on his arm, Kakashi pulled out a scroll and summoned his dogs. "Get Zabuza!" he barked his order, and the canine posy darted out in front of him, overtaking the nuke-nin just within sight of the genin. Kakashi could hear Bull and his other dogs crunching down. He knew from experience the rogue's shoulder was crushed, sword arm dislocated, and legs broken under his summons' teeth.

He went through the handseals slowly and his hand was cased in a light sheen of crackling, chirping lighting. It was vastly underpowered, but for now it would have to be enough. Kakashi charged, thrusting his arm forwards at Zabuza, when a mirror _–ice_— appeared and the apprentice stepped out. It was too late for Kakashi to withdraw the blow, he had too much momentum, but the apprentice seemed to be in better shape than he'd hopped and attempted to redirect the blow. He was partially successful, as Kakashi's arm buried itself deep into the kid's shoulder, but that was enough and the brown-haired boy crumpled to the ground.

"Haku!" Kakashi heard the nuke-nin due only to the close proximity, "Good, job, Haku, you've served your purpose." He clearly meant the last part as a compliment to reassure the boy he'd done all he could have, but suddenly Naruto was yelling and guilting the nuke-nin until he growled for silence. Kakashi realized Naruto thought Haku was dead. Well, with the wound Kakashi gave him, he was as good as. Even if he survived he'd never regain use of his left arm.

The fog cleared as Zabuza released his hold on the technique, there was no point. The outcome of the fight was undeniable. That was when Gato showed up. Later, when Kakashi would sit down to write his report he would have no way to describe what happened. Naruto convinced Zabuza to take out Gato and the goons he'd brought to do his bidding.

"How dare you!" The blonde had shouted, "He looked up to you! All he wanted was for someone to care about him and you just toss him away like some pice of trash!?" He was silenced by a look from the nuke-nin, but then Zabuza turned towards the jōnin.

"Toss me your kunai," the niku-nin growled at Kakashi, "I'll show that piece of dirt what happens to those who cross Momoichi Zabuza!"

Arms limp and kunai crunched between his teeth the Mist deserter cut through swathes of mercenaries until the blade lodged itself into Gato's throat. As he watched, Kakashi felt an unbelievably strong desire to draw his genin into his arms and turn their heads into his chest. There could be no doubt those who fell to Zabuza's blade would not rise. Kakashi wanted to shelter his kids from the scene, from the blood, gore, and death, but they weren't kids, were they. They were soldiers, his soldiers, and they must learn as he did not to turn from death. With a final gurgling spasm one of the wealthiest and influential men of the Elemental Nations left the earth.

Zabuza wouldn't make it out, Kakashi could see that, and now that his opposing mission was rendered moot the silver-haired jōnin decided to jump in, but Naruto beat him to the punch. He created nearly fifty shadow clones, and Kakashi added to that with his own regular illusionary clones for fright. Then the villagers showed up with Inari at the helm, and Kakashi didn't have it in him to be surprised. The now unemployed mercenaries fled, and Zabuza made his way towards where Haku was spread prone across the bridge.

What happened next Kakashi should have been able to predict. One of the villagers, or one of the mercenaries, he didn't check, launched an arrow at Zabuza and it pierced him though the heart. The nuke-nin collapsed beside his apprentice. Despite the ongoing ruckus on the island, the occupants of the bridge fell still and quiet. Zabuza stopped moving after a few shuddering breathes.

"Is… is he dead?" Naruto's voice fell flat. Kakashi slowly approached the pair and rested two fingers across Zabuza's throat. It was cold as ice. _No_, Kakashi corrected himself, _he is ice_. He trained his sharingan eye on the nuke-nin. _A clone. But when?_ He looked at the arrow. It was regular wood, a mercenary or villager must have launched it, but Kakashi could see ice creeping up the shaft, meaning—Kakashi looked to the fallen Haku and saw the same. It must have been when everyone was facing the mercenaries that the boy created a clone and replaced himself, but with only one arm – only one hand – jutsu should have been impossible.

Kakashi withdrew his fingers and stood, studying the pair. It was an obvious trick, there could have been no doubt in Haku's mind Kakashi would deduce what happened. But given the blood loss and pain the wound to his shoulder incurred, the ice-user may not have been thinking straight.

"Kakashi-sensei…?" He heard Sakura's wavering voice. The ex-ANBU allowed himself a moment to decide.

"They faught honorably," he turned to his kids. They may have only met on friendly terms once, but Naruto had felt for the boy. It was cruel of Kakashi, but he wanted Naruto to experience that painful loss which accompanied the death of a friend before he lost someone truly close like Kakashi had. He needed Naruto to understand that morals weren't black and white, and that the enemy wasn't always evil. Those lessons couldn't be learned without the trauma of loss, or if there was hope of conversion. It was when Kakashi turned to study each of his students that he noticed; Sasuke wasn't there.

"Where is Sasuke?" Naruto turned to look at his form, still on the ground as the frozen clones. Sakura ran to him while Naruto started speaking to Kakashi:

"It was all my fault, my fault 'cause I wasn't fast enough. He pushed me out of the way and took the blows for me," Naruto's eyes watered. Kakashi felt a pang in his heart and took a stumbling step to where the dark haired but lay. It couldn't be true-! It wasn't! There, Sasuke moved! And suddenly Kakashi's senses returned and he knew he was seeing the boy's chakra through his Sharingan eye, and Naruto was cheering, and Sakura crying, and stoic Sasuke sitting dazed between them.

This was a good day, the jōnin decided, a very good day.

* * *

**This chapter was a little longer than the others, so let me know what you thought of it!**

**I'm not anything approaching an artist, but I threw together the cover photo using a combination of chalk and paint. Is it a keeper or should it not so subtly disappear never to be seen again? If someone more skilled than myself (anyone in other words) has a picture of their own they'd like to share, let me know!**

**Published: May 8, 2014**

**Words: 5,074**


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